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Seth D. Greenlaw Biology101 Paper 1 June 8, 2002 Viruses, viroids, and prions are not technically living organisms. In this paper I will attempt to describe what makes them different from living organisms, why they are important, and what diseases they cause. However, before starting off on this whirlwind of biological information, it's important to define what viruses, viroids, and prions are. For example, Columbia University's Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia states, "A virus is a parasite with a noncellular structure composed mainly of nucleic acid within a protein coat" [1]. According to the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, "A viroid is an microscopic infectious agent, much smaller than a virus, that infects higher plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, chrysanthemums, and cucumbers, causing stunted or distorted growth and sometimes death. Viroids are single strands of RNA and lack the protein coat of viruses" [1]. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia continues to explain a prion as an "Undefined infectious...

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