Asked by jenny

what is the two similarities and two differences between viruses and living organisms

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Two similarities
1) Genetic material — Both viruses and living organisms store information in nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) that directs their structure and function.
2) Evolution by natural selection — Both can mutate and undergo selection over generations, allowing adaptation to changing environments.

Two differences
1) Cellular organization and metabolism — Living organisms are made of cells and carry out metabolism (energy production, waste removal). Viruses are acellular particles that lack metabolic machinery and do not carry out biochemical reactions on their own.
2) Reproduction method — Living organisms can grow and reproduce independently. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites: they must infect a host cell and hijack its machinery to replicate.