Amazing discovery of giant viruses in the deepest place on Earth

The deepest point of the Marianne Trench, one of the most enigmatic places on Earth, is home to many of the biggest viruses in existence, according to a team of scientists from Shanghai. it’s about the mimivirus, which typically use amoeba as hosts, which have been found in sediments extracted from a seabed nearly 11,000 meters below sea level, where the pressure is 1,100 times that of the atmosphere at the surface.

Scientists of the Chinese Academy of Sciences examined marine sediment samples collected in 2016 by the vessel Zhang Jian in the Awe would be Challenger, The area Deepera ofI planet. During the study, they were able to grow more than 2,000 strains of microorganisms in a high-pressure environment recreated in the laboratory, and sequence the genomes of 15 viruses and over 100 other microorganisms. , according to a newspaper article. Genome biology.

Most surprisingly, however, were the huge amounts of giant viruses found in the deepest parts of the Mariana Trench. In their research, scientists have identified several species of mimivirus, measuring up to 700 nanometers (0.007 mm), therefore, on some occasions they can be observed with the naked eye, and that they constituted over 4% of the total viral population on the explored seabed.

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Mimiviruses were first confused with bacteria when scientists first saw them during a pneumonia epidemic in 1992. Since then, the scientific world has been puzzled by these viruses for decades, not only in because of their unusual size, but also because of their exceptional genome. complex of more than 1.2 million base pairs, more than any other virus. The genomic sequence of the new coronavirus, for example, is 40 times shorter.

Some scientists believe that, like many parasites, mimiviruses have gone through a “reverse evolution», From microbes to viruses. Previously, they were only found in more independent life forms, such as bacteria or single-celled animals. And while in some experiments, these giant viruses were able to damage mammalian tissue, So far, there is no evidence that they can directly harm humans.

The Mariana Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean, home to these incredible mimiviruses, is over 3,000 km away. from Shanghai.

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“The complete structure of the biosphere and the functional exploration of microbial communities in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench, the deepest hadal zone known on Earth, is far behind that of other marine kingdoms,” he said. writing. Li Xuan, professor at the Institute of Plant Physiology. and ecology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “In addition to the high hydrostatic pressure (60-110 MPa), trench environments are characterized by near-freezing temperatures, total darkness, low nutrient availability and isolation in topography“He added.

The Chinese government says scientific exploration in the deepest waters of the Earth will increase human knowledge of this largely unknown world and help protect the environment in the future when deep sea mining is required. .

Scientists believe that Genetic information about organisms living in extreme environments could also lead to the discovery of new drugs or biological tools. As the Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected 194 million people and killed more than 4 million worldwide, has raised concerns about the safety of collecting and studying viruses in nature, many scientists still believe that the best defense strategy for mankind is to better understand the unknown strains.

DS