Why Do Viruses Have No Membranes?

Question

Or do they?

i dunno

Answer 1

Some viruses do have membranes. Influenza virus and ebola have membranes for example. Other viruses do not. They simply have a protein shell. Viral membranes are not biologically active like cellular membranes. They are there to aid in entry into the cell.


And viruses are alive, as most virologists will tell you. They replicate via a nucleic acid based information system, evolve, grow with specific organization and resond to their "environmental stimuli".

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Depends on the Type of virus

No sure what everyone else is talking bout but that are t types of viral structure, as i learned, there maybe more...but that's irrelevant.

But these four types of viruses have a protein shell surrounding them known as a capsid.

Capsids can be rod shaped or icosahedron, a 20 triangle faces looking thing....

Those are usually tow of the four types of viral structures.

Next there are bacteriophage's which has the most complex caps id....but that's irrelevant...

Lastly, One structure of viruses have a viral envelope. WHICH IS A MEMBRANE. This membrane cloaks the capsid. An example of one of these is the Influenza Virus.


There

Answer 4

As I said before, viruses are not living things

They are made up of protein which forms a hard shell-like case around an inner strand of viral DNA. Membranes, as in cells, are structures that control what enter and leave the cells. Since viruses don't need anything, and don't excrete anything (except their DNA into a host cell), they don't need a membrane. The protein shell of a virus serves to protect the DNA until the virus can inject it into a host cell.

Your friendly Biology Teacher.

P.S. Is this the 2nd homework question I have answered for you tonight?

Answer 5

Viruses don't need membranes. They are simply genetic code with a protective protein shell. They aren't classified as living organisms.

Answer 6

Viruses are considered to be very primitive organisms:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus

While generally considered to be non-living, they possess certain characteristics of living organisms, including a propagation means and an adaptation means. While propagation is accomplished through subjugation of another organism's cellular mechanisms, and that is generally considered to be a non-living characteristic, the mere fact that viruses continue to propagate and genetically adapt to drugs and other killing mechanisms would seem to indicate a strong living organism characteristic.

Answer 7

Well, they don't. But, I think it is because they are not living things. If we freeze them up, they would just become inactive but not die. I think it is basically because they are not living things and membranes would stop their activities in breeding in other living things.

Answer 8

because they are non living until they merge with a cell.
they are just RNA until they take over an animal or plant cell and then turn it into a virus producing factory

Answer 9

They are not cellular organisms, that's why.
Some of them actually have, called envelope.

Answer 10

because they are not cellular in nature