Biology is the study of living things and all living things are on the tree of life.
Viruses are not on the tree of life because they are not alive (I realize this is debatable). So are viruses the only non-living entity studied in biology, the field of living things?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Biologists study both living and non-living things, including viruses. While viruses cannot carry out the basic functions of life on their own, they do have some traits of living things and can definitely have a significant impact on the health of living things. As others have mentioned, prions also fit this mold.
It may be a stretch, but biologists also study many non-living things in our ecosystem that greatly impact us like minerals and soil.
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