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Biology / Unit 1   Bio 0070 short lesson, about 20 seconds

Is a Virus Alive?

Captions available

The idea

Whether a virus counts as a living organism is genuinely open, and this course states both positions without a verdict.

In practice

One position denies a virus life, lacking cells and reproducing only inside a host; the other grants it life, since it evolves inside a cell.

Where people slip

Both positions accept the same facts about a virus; they differ only on which facts define life.

Your place on the trail

Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.

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