NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Viruses cannot replicate unless absorbed by cells in our body. Once a virus is outside the body, its capsid starts to degrade, and the more degraded its capsid is, the less likely it is to survive. When outside the body, these capsids degrade faster in cold, dry environments.

Detailed explanation-2: -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-3: -Worms. While viruses are spread when you run infected software on your system, worms spread themselves across systems and networks without the need for host software.

Detailed explanation-4: -Viruses can’t reproduce on their own (unlike bacteria) so they aren’t considered ‘living’, but they can survive on surfaces for a varying level of time. Viruses are a non-living collection of molecules that need a host to survive.

Detailed explanation-5: -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.