What are the criteria for the concept of “living organism”? Indicate the criteria and then you will see whether a particular phenomenon is covered or not. For example, in the case of such criteria:
Breathes (exchange of substances with the outside world).
Reproduces (reproduces its own kind).
Grows (increases body weight to certain limits).
Prions are not a living organism, since only point 2 is true for them, and the other two are false. But if we define the concept of a living organism as something that is capable of reproduction under certain circumstances, then yes, prions are a living organism, since they are able to reproduce their own kind in the event of encountering non-prion proteins of the same structure.)
By the way, as for the question about viruses, they also do not fall under the first definition of a living organism, since they do not breathe and do not grow.
With prions, everything is just as simple. They are inanimate molecules. In this sense, a similar question about viruses is much more interesting. Are they alive or not?
What are the criteria for the concept of “living organism”? Indicate the criteria and then you will see whether a particular phenomenon is covered or not. For example, in the case of such criteria:
Breathes (exchange of substances with the outside world).
Reproduces (reproduces its own kind).
Grows (increases body weight to certain limits).
Prions are not a living organism, since only point 2 is true for them, and the other two are false. But if we define the concept of a living organism as something that is capable of reproduction under certain circumstances, then yes, prions are a living organism, since they are able to reproduce their own kind in the event of encountering non-prion proteins of the same structure.)
By the way, as for the question about viruses, they also do not fall under the first definition of a living organism, since they do not breathe and do not grow.
With prions, everything is just as simple. They are inanimate molecules. In this sense, a similar question about viruses is much more interesting. Are they alive or not?