Some Tendencies that viruses have cause some people to believe that they are living things. We all know that there are eight characteristics of life. a living thing must; be made up of cells, have a need to eat, grow, reproduce, adapt, maintain external and internal homeostasis, responds to its environment, and must die. Viruses meet some of these characteristics, however they do not meet all of them. A virus can be frozen and crystallized, then re'hydrated and still be able to function, normally, living things couldn't survive this process, unicellular or otherwise.
Personally, I don't think that viruses are alive, I follow the rule of the eight characteristics. Even if they met 7/8 of them I would still call it non-living, however I do recognize that is is very life-like, as it does follow some of the characteristics of life.
Personally, I don't think that viruses are alive, I follow the rule of the eight characteristics. Even if they met 7/8 of them I would still call it non-living, however I do recognize that is is very life-like, as it does follow some of the characteristics of life.