A microbiologist obtained two pure biological samples: one of a virus, and the other of a viroid. Unfortunately, the labels had been lost. The microbiologist felt she could distinguish the two by analyzing for the presence or absence of a single molecule. What molecule would she search for and why?

The researcher could look for the presence of proteins, because viruses have a envelope (capsid) composed of proteins that involve their genetic material. The capsid may have a helical or icosahedral structure and is extremely regular. Viroids cannot synthesize any type of protein, so differentiation is possible.