Viruses

To understand viruses you must first have a basic knowledge of what DNA and RNA are. DNA are double-stranded strips of code stored in the cell's nucleus. They split themselves into two single-stranded strips called RNA, then they leave the nucleus. The RNA codes to proteins, which make up the structure of a human being. On the left is a picture of DNA before it splits itself.

Viruses are capsules that store their own RNA. They infiltrate cells and replace the organisms RNA with their own. The cell, thinking the RNA is their own, will then use it's resources to code the RAN into more viruses. Then, depending on the type of virus, one of two thins will happen. The virus will either stay and wait for other viruses to form, or leave immediately to infect other cells. If it waits, the cell will eventually host a large amount of viruses. The viruses will then release proteins that will cause the cell to kill itself. This is a process called lysing. If the virus leaves immediately, or buds, it will push against the cell wall until a piece of it breaks off surrounding the cell. This will help the virus infect other cells because the broken cell wall disguises the virus as just another cell.

There are possibly hundreds of unique ways viruses can infect a cell or bacteria, with more being discovered every week. But only three ways are most commonly spoken of. The first is for a virus that has acquired a piece of a cell wall to push itself toward the cell. It's membrane will attach to the cell's, fusing the two together and allowing the virus to plant it's RNA. The second technique is to attach a tube-like extension of the virus' body to the cell wall and inject it's RNA. This works much like a tetanus shot. Only specific types of viruses can perform the third method. Similar to the Greeks Trojan Horse, the virus disguises itself as a nutritious particle that the cell needs to consume. From there it's obvious to see how this method works.