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Using a specially designed computational tool as a lure, scientists have netted the genomic sequences of almost 12,500 previously uncharacterized viruses from public databases.
ScienceDaily reports on an recently accepted manuscript in eLife:
Finding a treasure trove of new virus genome sequences has opened the door to using those data to identify previously unknown microbial hosts, as well. These new possibilities are attributed to VirSorter, a computational tool [which] scoured public databases of sequenced microbial genomes.
"We can survey a lot of environments to find new viruses, but the challenge has been answering, who do they infect?...[W]e can explore that viral-host linkage. That's a really important part of the equation."
Though viruses are generally thought to take over whatever organism they invade, [we] identified a few viruses, called prophages, which coexist with their host microbes and even produce genes that help the host cells compete and survive.
"That is a really different and largely unexplored phenomenon. [It] appears quite widespread, and virtually nobody is studying these kinds of viruses."
(Score: 2) by zugedneb on Tuesday August 18 2015, @03:33PM
...16 year old prodigy invents (- wording very important here) computational tool for previously overlooked field in genetics...
Experts weep, kowtow, kiss his feet...
And now to the UNBELIEVABLE!
Someone used the "design" word instead of the "invent" word...
WTF?
Mod me troll, but is the second coming of Christ this near?
old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 18 2015, @06:16PM
This article is bunk. It's not overlooked. It's taught in introductory microbiology courses. I have a microbiology book that covers them and their potential benefits.