Question

critical thinking question (most important question of the lab): 9. an individual virus binds to the surface of a cell, hijacks the cellular machinery inside, and replicates itself, sometimes thousands of times. based on what you’ve learned about the size, scale, and components of a virus, explain how a virus is able to accomplish this. justify your answer with scientific reasoning.

Explanation:

Viruses are small, often just a protein - coat (capsid) enclosing genetic material (DNA or RNA). They lack the cellular machinery for metabolism and replication on their own. When a virus binds to specific receptors on a host cell surface, it enters the cell. Once inside, its genetic material takes over the host cell's ribosomes, enzymes, and other components. The host cell then reads the viral genetic instructions and synthesizes viral proteins and copies the viral genetic material, which are assembled into new virus particles. This process can occur thousands of times due to the host cell's abundant resources and the simplicity of the viral replication process.

Answer:

Viruses are able to replicate themselves inside host cells by binding to cell - surface receptors, entering the cell, and using the host cell's machinery to synthesize viral components for assembly into new virus particles.