Scientists Discover , Deepest Virus Ever Detected , in the Mariana Trench.
Gizmodo reports that scientists have discovered
a new virus deep within the Mariana Trench.
Gizmodo reports that scientists have discovered
a new virus deep within the Mariana Trench.
The virus, which feeds on certain
bacteria, was discovered at a greater
depth than any other virus.
The Mariana Trench, with a depth
of 36,000 feet, is found in the Pacific Ocean
and is the deepest trench on Earth.
Previously, scientists have discovered
new species of fish, shrimp and an
assortment of microbes within the trench.
The new virus, which has been named
vB_HmeY_H4907, was discovered by
a team of researchers from China and Australia.
It was isolated from sediment
returned to the surface from a depth
of 8,900 meters, or over 29,000 feet.
According to the team, the discovery is part
of a family of previously-unidentified viruses,
which has now been dubbed Suviridae.
To our best knowledge, this is
the deepest known isolated
phage in the global ocean, Min Wang, Virologist at the Ocean University of China, via Gizmodo.
The team's discovery was published
in the journal 'Microbiology Spectrum.'.
The team plans to continue searching for viruses
in the Earth's most inhospitable environments. .
Extreme environments
offer optimal prospects for
unearthing novel viruses, Min Wang, Virologist at the Ocean University of China, via Gizmodo