Answer:
The only living characteristic of viruses are that they reproduce but only inside the host body, using its machinery they can mutate and change over time. In the case of retroviruses, DNA can be passed to succeeding generations.
the non living characteristics of viruses include that they are not cells; they lack plasma membrane, cytoplasm and cellular organelles and they can not undergo metabolism. they can not maintain homeostasis as they crystallize out of the host body. they can not grow, just multiply using the host machinery.
considering some facts that viruses can reproduce inside hosts body, and that they can mutate we can say that they are living.
but flipping the coin, viruses are not cells, they lack cytoplasm and organelles and they crystallize out of the host body. We can say that they are non-living.
but up till now biologists place viruses on a border line of living and non living.
Explanation:
