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
