What defining characteristic places viruses in a biological gray area?
Answer
They are self-replicating units that must reproduce within specific host cells.
Viruses are characterized by being self-replicating biological units that fundamentally require specific host cells to complete their reproduction cycle, placing them in a gray area between living and non-living entities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What defining characteristic places viruses in a biological gray area?What essential cellular component is critically absent in a virion, contributing to its dependence?What vital energy molecule do viruses rely entirely on the host cell to generate?What is the name for the protective protein shell surrounding the viral genetic material?What is the core dependency phase during the infection sequence?Which piece of host equipment is most significant for a virus needing to manufacture its own protein components?What is the second distinct step in the sequence of viral infection?According to evolutionary theories, which hypothesis suggests viruses developed alongside cellular life forms?Why is the mandatory reliance on a host cell considered a successful, energy-saving strategy for viruses?Where do DNA viruses generally migrate within the host cell to utilize host polymerases for replication?