NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Viruses are microscopic parasites responsible for a host of familiar – and often fatal – diseases, including … the flu, Ebola, measles and HIV. They are made up of DNA or RNA encapsulated in a protein shell and can only survive and replicate inside a living host, which could be any organism on earth.

Detailed explanation-2: -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-3: -They evolve. They also can reproduce, but not on their own. When a virus reproduces, it must gain access to a host’s cell where it essentially takes over to create a virus-making factory. They also cannot carry out metabolic processes.

Detailed explanation-4: -They need to use another cell’s structures to reproduce. This means they can’t survive unless they’re living inside something else (such as a person, animal, or plant). Viruses can only live for a very short time outside other living cells.

Detailed explanation-5: -In order to replicate, viruses must first hijack the reproductive equipment of a host cell, redirecting it to ‘photocopy’ the genetic code of the virus and seal it inside a newly formed container, known as the capsid. Without a host cell, they simply can’t replicate.