EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -All viruses are obligate parasites; that is, they lack metabolic machinery of their own to generate energy or to synthesize proteins, so they depend on host cells to carry out these vital functions. Once inside a cell, viruses have genes for usurping the cell’s energy-generating and protein-synthesizing systems.…

Detailed explanation-2: -Viruses cannot replicate on their own, but rather depend on their host cell’s protein synthesis pathways to reproduce. This typically occurs by the virus inserting its genetic material in host cells, co-opting the proteins to create viral replicates, until the cell bursts from the high volume of new viral particles.

Detailed explanation-3: -Answer and Explanation: A virus is similar to a parasite because it is dependent on a host for its survival. A parasite lives and feeds off of a host at the expense of that organism. Viruses are similar, and cannot be active outside of a host.

Detailed explanation-4: -Viruses depend on the host cells that they infect to reproduce. When found outside of host cells, viruses exist as a protein coat or capsid, sometimes enclosed within a membrane. The capsid encloses either DNA or RNA which codes for the virus elements.