List of Viruses’ non-living Characteristics Viruses have long been a subject of fascination and concern for scientists and the general public alike. These microscopic entities straddle the line between living and non-living, presenting a unique challenge to our understanding of biology. While they exhibit some characteristics of living organisms, such as the ability to replicate and evolve, they lack many fundamental traits that define life. In this blog post, we delve into the non-living characteristics of viruses, shedding light on their enigmatic nature.

Video: Virus – Living or Non-living

List of Viruses’ non-living Characteristics

Viruses are considered to be non living, because of the following characteristics:

1. Viruses don’t have protoplast
2. Viruses do not have chlorophyll and are therefore unable to make their own food by photosynthesis.
3. All viruses are obligate internal parasites. This means that they cannot multiply without infecting another living organism or host.
4. Viruses can be crystalised
5. Viruses can’t live independently of a living cell
6. Viruses don’t have any respiration process: cannot respire, feed or excrete waste,
7. Viruses lack energy storage system
8. Viruses cant grow and devide

Structure of a typical virus