EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -A virus is a tiny, infectious particle that can reproduce only by infecting a host cell. Viruses “commandeer” the host cell and use its resources to make more viruses, basically reprogramming it to become a virus factory. Because they can’t reproduce by themselves (without a host), viruses are not considered living.

Detailed explanation-2: -To what would the phrase “is not a cell but has the ability to reproduce within a living cell” bestdescribe? Explanation: viruses do not have cells, however can reproduce when inside a host.

Detailed explanation-3: -Viruses are not made out of cells, they can’t keep themselves in a stable state, they don’t grow, and they can’t make their own energy. Even though they definitely replicate and adapt to their environment, viruses are more like androids than real living organisms.

Detailed explanation-4: -Viruses cannot reproduce outside the host because these organisms do not have the metabolic machinery of their own. Viruses do not have cytoplasm and enzymes required for reproduction. In this regard viruses must approach their respective host for reproductive components.

Detailed explanation-5: -Cells are the basic units of life. Cells can exist by themselves, like bacteria, or as part of a larger organism, like our cells. Viruses are non-living infectious particles, much smaller than a cell, and need a living host to reproduce.