Why is a virus considered dead (and bacteria alive)?

Question

I think the title explains itself.

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: I know they are not alive, but can be “de-activated”, my bad for expressing myself in a bad way.

In: Biology

Answer 1

A virus is not dead, it’s simply not alive. The same way a rock is not dead, it’s just not alive. Viruses aren’t living things because they don’t meet the criteria for life. They’re just a small packet of DNA or RNA surrounded by a membrane. They can’t reproduce on their own. They don’t grow or use energy. They don’t eat and they don’t produce waste. They’re more like biological machines than living organisms.

Bacteria, on the other hand, are living organisms. They might be simple and small, but they use energy (which means they need food to survive), produce waste, and reproduce on their own. Those are all things they share in common with more complex life, while viruses lack these things.