A student claims that viruses are alive because they have genetic material and can reproduce. Is this student’s claim correct?(1 point) Responses No, viruses are not alive because they rely on a host organism to be able to reproduce. No, viruses are not alive because they rely on a host organism to be able to reproduce. No, viruses are not alive because they do not have genetic material nor can they reproduce. No, viruses are not alive because they do not have genetic material nor can they reproduce. Yes, viruses are alive because they can reproduce. Yes, viruses are alive because they can reproduce. Yes, viruses are alive because they have genetic material.
1 answer
The correct response is: No, viruses are not alive because they rely on a host organism to be able to reproduce.
Viruses do have genetic material and can reproduce, but they cannot do so independently; they need to infect a host cell to replicate. This dependence on a host for reproduction is one of the reasons why many scientists consider viruses to be at the edge of life or not truly alive.
