Scientists discover 1,445 new viruses
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CHINESE scientists have discovered 1,445 new RNA virus species, a find expected to benefit future studies in virus evolution and the origins of life.
The research was led by a team of scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, with the results published online yesterday in the journal Nature.
The discovery of the new virus species will challenge current rules in classifying viruses, said Zhang Yongzhen, researcher with the center’s National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention.
The team found the new viruses by studying more than 220 invertebrate species, a wide range of creatures, including insects, accounting for 95 percent of all animals, Zhang said.
Some of the viruses can be classified as new virus families, given their differences to known virus species, Zhang said, adding that the discovery enriches diversities of RNA viruses.
The research also revealed the co-evolution of viruses and hosts — cells that harbors viruses — as well as the way hosts switch viruses as they evolve, which is likely to revolutionize people’s understanding of the origins of life, said Xu Jianqing, professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Fudan University.
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