Non-cellular life
Well buddy, life means things that are alive and can move, eat, breathe and reproduce. But some things are not made up of cells that we usually see like plants and animals. These things are the non-cellular forms of life.
One of the most famous non-cellular life forms is called a virus. Have you ever heard of it? It's like a very tiny germ that we can’t see with our eyes, but it can cause people to get sick. Viruses are made up of a tiny capsule that has genetic material inside. This genetic material is like an instruction manual that tells the virus what to do. The virus tries to copy itself by infecting a living cell and using that cell's machinery to make copies of itself.
Another type of non-cellular life are called prions. These are like rogue proteins that can cause diseases in animals and humans. Prions are normally good in our body, but some of them can change their shape and cause problems. When prions change their shape, they turn other normal proteins into more bad prions. This can lead to diseases like mad cow disease.
Finally, there are also some things that are called viroids. They are similar to viruses, but much smaller. Viroids can cause diseases in plants by invading the plant's cells and changing the plant's DNA.
So you see, even though these things don't have cells, they can still do some of the things that living things do, like make copies of themselves and cause problems.
One of the most famous non-cellular life forms is called a virus. Have you ever heard of it? It's like a very tiny germ that we can’t see with our eyes, but it can cause people to get sick. Viruses are made up of a tiny capsule that has genetic material inside. This genetic material is like an instruction manual that tells the virus what to do. The virus tries to copy itself by infecting a living cell and using that cell's machinery to make copies of itself.
Another type of non-cellular life are called prions. These are like rogue proteins that can cause diseases in animals and humans. Prions are normally good in our body, but some of them can change their shape and cause problems. When prions change their shape, they turn other normal proteins into more bad prions. This can lead to diseases like mad cow disease.
Finally, there are also some things that are called viroids. They are similar to viruses, but much smaller. Viroids can cause diseases in plants by invading the plant's cells and changing the plant's DNA.
So you see, even though these things don't have cells, they can still do some of the things that living things do, like make copies of themselves and cause problems.
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