Question

What qualities do viruses possess that are characteristics of life?

• What qualities set them apart from the "classic" definitions of life? (Why are they different from you?)
• How do viruses reproduce?
• How have viruses evolved over time?

Answer 1

Qualities that viruses possess that are characteristics of life are:

• They are made of proteins and glycoproteins like cells are.
• Nucleic acid show similar gene mutations and recombinations as chromosomes of living organisms.
• Have the ability to reproduce
• They contain genetic information needed to produce more viruses in the form of DNA or RNA
• They evolve to adapt to their hosts.

Qualities that set them apart from the "classic" definitions of life are:

• They cannot reproduce independently
• Once assembled, a virus does not change in size or chemical composition.
• They do not have protoplasm
• They do not have enzyme system
• they lack the machinery for producing energy to drive such biological processes.

Unlike cellular organisms, viruses do not contain the biochemical mechanisms for their own replication. Viruses replicate by using the biochemical mechanisms of a host cell to synthesise and assemble there separate components.

So, Viruses can reproduce only within living cells and are obligate intracellular parasites.

Evolution of Viruses:

Viruses undergo evolution and natural selection, just like cell-based life, and most of them evolve rapidly.

When two viruses infect a cell at the same time, they may swap genetic material to make new, "mixed" viruses with unique properties. For example, flu strains can arise this way.

RNA viruses have high mutation rates that allow especially fast evolution. An example is the evolution of drug resistance in HIV.

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