Giant viruses discovered in an arctic lake

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By drilling deeper and deeper into the depths of the Arctic, scientists are making chilling discoveries. Like, say, encountering giant viruses that infect the algae of an unusual lake, on the other side of the world.

The results of this search have been published in the magazine Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyAnd the He presented the work of a group of scientists who went to study the lake of the Milne Fjord platform, about one hundred kilometers from the North Pole.

This lake has a peculiarity: it consists of a mass of fresh water that floats just above the sea water – it is much denser. Covered with a layer of ice, both types of water Thus, it is protected from waves and winds which might confuse them. In this magical environment, scientists have made an amazing discovery.

giant viruses

take and then Existing DNA sequence In water samples from the lake, researchers have been able to identify an incredible variety of viruses, some of which belong to the giant group of viruses called Megaviricetesspecific Science alert. Much larger than regular viruses, roughly the size of bacteria!

Even more interesting, scientists noticed that these funny viruses, which are found in fresh water, affected microscopic algae that are below the permissible limit in salt water. A phenomenon that remains unexplained.

The waters of this atypical lake can hide other surprises. Unfortunately, as the scientific media points out, its days are numbered: rising temperatures may soon destroy an ice dam that protects this unique environment. The race against time has begun.