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“RNA viruses are clearly important in our world, but we typically only study a tiny fraction of them — the few hundred that harm humans, plants and animals,” Sullivan said in a statement. recent statement. “We wanted to study them systematically on a very large scale and explore an environment that no one had looked at in depth, and we were lucky because virtually all of the species were new, and many were really new.”
Using a combination of machine learning analysis and traditional evolutionary trees, the research team discovered 5,500 new species of RNA viruses. Researchers have found viruses that fit into all five existing RNA virus phyla. But due to the huge amount of diversity they discovered, they determined that five new phyla are needed to accurately classify their findings.
“There are so many new diversities here – and a whole phylum, the Taraviricotahave been found all over the oceans, suggesting they are ecologically important,” said lead author Matthew Sullivan, professor of microbiology at Ohio State University.
In addition to the five new RNA phyla, the researchers also propose at least 11 new Orthornavirae classes of RNA viruses. The team of researchers is working on a proposal to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses to formalize the new suggested phyla and classes.
According to Ahmed Zayed, co-first author of the study and a microbiology researcher at Ohio State, the new findings on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) could lead to a better understanding of the beginnings of life and evolution on our planet.
“RdRp is supposed to be one of the oldest genes – it existed before there was a need for DNA,” Zayed said. Daily Science. “So we’re not just tracing the origins of viruses, but also the origins of life.”
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