Re: OK, you go out for a jog and a 10-foot reptile eats you
It sorta depends on whom you ask, but the general consensus is, "No, a virus is not alive."
We've defined living things as being cellular (the cell is the "fundamental unit of life") and so viruses, being non-cellular, aren't alive. Also, a virus has no metabolism of its own. A virus is "just" some DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat. If it can get into a living cell, it can co-opt the host cell's metabolism and "force" the cell to make copies of the virus, but outside of a living cell, a virus is more or less inert.
Cheers,
Michael
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” -- Socrates
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