The simple question of whether or not viruses are alive, has defied a simple answer because it raises the fundamental issue: What defines life?

Anything that is considered alive must exhibit ALL 7 characteristics of life. A virus may show some characteristics, but it does not show all, so therefore, its not alive.

The answer is atmosphere. there are four spheres of the earth: 1. geosphere (from greek word 'geo' = ground), 2. hydrosphere (from greek word 'hydro' = water), 3. biosphere (from greek word 'bio' = life), and 4. atmosphere (from greek word 'atmo' = air). a magnetosphere is a region of space around astronomical objects controlled by the magnetic field of that object. through the process of elimination, since lightning is present in the air, it can be found in the atmosphere.