Viruses are microscopic germs. They are constructed from genetic material encased in a protein covering. Viruses are responsible for common infectious ailments such as the common cold, flu, and warts. They also cause serious diseases including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19. They attack cells and use them to reproduce themselves. Then they destroy the cells after using them up. Viruses are different from bacteria because they do not need living cells to survive or grow. A virus's life cycle includes attaching to a cell, entering the cell, and then destroying it or moving on to another cell. Bacteria, on the other hand, can only live inside living cells and cannot be destroyed easily. However, like bacteria, viruses can make copies of themselves called clones. These clones then go on to create more viruses or bacteria depending on the virus or bacterium that caused them to be copied in the first place. Viruses are very small -- some are even smaller than bacteria -- and so they can't be seen with the naked eye. Instead, scientists see viruses under a microscope. Only laboratories equipped with a microscope capable of viewing microorganisms could possibly study viruses! In conclusion, viruses are tiny organisms that can only live inside living cells. They are responsible for making many infections around us every day. Although viruses are unable to replicate themselves, they can clone themselves into new viruses which can then go on to infect other cells.