Are viruses considered living?

[BiohStewdent]

I have been wondering about this for a while.

[Blueberrysplash]

Well.. there has been a lot of debating going on among biologists, regarding this matter..
As much as I know, virus are living ONLY after they infect a host.. They are in crystalline state when outside the body of a host. The protein coat imparts them their inertness(i guess). And when they infect a host, they lose the protein coat & inject their RNA/DNA into the host. This genetic material then multiplies & infects other cells of the host..
This info is like a drop in an ocean of knowledge.. I'm sure there's a lot more to it!

Ciao!