this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2023
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Ask Biologists ๐Ÿ™‹๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ”ฌ ๐Ÿงฌ

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There are 5 kingdoms; Kingdom Animalia, Kingdom Plantae, Kingdom Fungi, Kingdom Minera, and Kingdom Protistae. Why isn't there another one for viruses, since they fit in neither of these kingdoms, due to the lack of DNA?

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[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Viruses have DNA. What they lack is the ability to self-replicate. They need a host cell for that, and thus miss one of the key criteria we use to define "life".