Viruses are considered by some biologists to be a life form, because they carry genetic material, reproduce, and evolve through natural selection, although they lack some key characteristics, such …

Dec 17, 2025 · Virus, infectious agent of small size and simple composition that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria. Viruses possess unique infective properties and thus often …

A virus is a small piece of genetic information in a “carrying case” — a protective coating called a capsid. Viruses aren’t made up of cells, so they don’t have all the equipment that cells do to make more …

Apr 12, 2025 · When a virus enters the body, the innate immune system reacts first. This non-specific defense includes barriers like skin, as well as cells that engulf and destroy invaders.

1 day ago · A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use …

Oct 19, 2023 · Viruses are microscopic biological agents that invade living hosts and infect their bodies by reproducing within their cell tissue. Viruses are tiny infectious agents that rely on living cells to …

Viruses are microscopic entities that exist on the border of what is considered living, impacting all forms of life from bacteria to humans. These tiny invaders are responsible for a wide array of diseases, …

Viruses are among the smallest microbes, typically ranging from 0.02 to 0.3 micrometer in diameter, although several very large viruses up to 1 micrometer (eg, megavirus, pandoravirus) have recently …

Viruses are typically described as obligate intracellular parasites, acellular infectious agents that require the presence of a host cell in order to multiply.

Key points: A virus is an infectious particle that reproduces by "commandeering" a host cell and using its machinery to make more viruses. A virus is made up of a DNA or RNA genome inside a protein shell …