Daniella Razzouk

IB1

What are viruses?

a. All living things can be infected by viruses including bacteria and other viruses.

b. Viruses are microscopically small, much smaller than bacteria.

c. Viruses mostly consist of a shell made of protein inside of which there is either DNA or

RNA and has small molecular receptors on the outside.

d. The virus uses its molecular receptors to bind and join to a membrane of a cell, the virus

then uses several complicated biological pathways to force the cell to accept either the

virus’s genetic material or the whole virus.

e. Protein manufacturing system and DNA replication mechanism.

f. It is possible that a virus that infected a bacteria billions of years ago became the first cell

nucleus.