Why are viruses considered as connecting link between living and non-living?

Answer 1

"Viruses are so primitive that many scientists consider them to be both living and nonliving things. By itself, a virus is a lifeless particle that cannot reproduce. But inside a living cell, a virus becomes an active organism that can multiply hundreds of times."

Answer 2

Viruses have DNA and are covered by protein coating. These are structures of a living cell.

However, viruses do not have a nucleus and lack many of the cell organelles. They do not go through mitosis (cell division) on their own. Thus, they can be called as non-living things.

Answer 3

Well they can not make there life them self as bacteria/fungi etc. They need a host to replicate their progeny. Viruses are just nucleo-capsid which contains few proteins and genetic material. They dont have cellular organells to do separate functions. All they can do is their protein can interact to host proteins and control the system in favor of viruses.

Answer 4

Viruses reproduce, mutate, and evolve, but they don't grow or metabolise, and can only survive inside living cells.

Answer 5

Because a living thing must be able to reproduce a virus doesn't rather it infects a cell and that cells reproduction system acts as the viruses way to reproduce

Answer 6

Because they spread communicable diseases by sitting on garbage and spreading pathogens from one place to another.

Answer 7

Because they show "living" characteristics i.e. reproduction only when the are inside a host, However when the are outside their host they go into dormancy and show no living characteristics.

Answer 8

I don't really know