According to the six criteria given as characteristics of life (organization, metabolism, responsiveness, growth, development, and reproduction), is a virus such as HIV "alive"?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A virus is not considered alive because it lacks several of the six characteristics of life. While it does have organization (an ordered structure), it does not metabolize nutrients, grow or develop, or respond to stimuli on its own. It also cannot reproduce without using the machinery of its host cell, although it does have genetic material that allows it to direct the host cell to produce more viruses. Therefore, the answer is C because a virus has only one characteristic of life, making its status as "alive" uncertain.

According to the Six Criteria Given as Characteristics of Life