The document discusses the scientific debate around whether viruses should be considered living organisms. It notes that viruses consist of genetic material and a protein coat, and must infect a host cell to reproduce. Viruses can exist in two cycles - lytic, where the host cell is destroyed, and lysogenic, where the viral DNA incorporates into the host genome. While viruses exhibit some traits of living things, they cannot naturally reproduce outside a host cell and do not have their own metabolism, so their status remains unclear.