Scientists discover nearly 100,000 new types of viruses Bacteria Cell DNA fungi Genetic RNA Virology CellCellPress
Reviewed by Aimee MolineuxDec 26 2022 A groundbreaking Tel Aviv University study has discovered about 100,000 new types of previously unknown viruses - a ninefold increase in the number of RNA viruses known to science until now. These viruses were discovered in global environmental data from soil samples, oceans, lakes, and other ecosystems. This discovery may aid in the development of anti-microbial drugs and protect against agriculturally harmful fungi and parasites.
Doctoral student Uri Neri led the study under the guidance of Prof. Uri Gophna of the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research in the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University. The research was conducted in collaboration with the US-based research bodies NIH and JGI, as well as the Pasteur Institute in France. The study was published in the prestigious journal Cell and comprised data collected by more than a hundred scientists worldwide.
Uri Neri says that the study used new computational technologies to mine genetic information from thousands of different sampling points worldwide . The researchers developed a sophisticated computational tool that distinguished between the genetic material of RNA viruses and that of the hosts and used it to analyze the big data.
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