Study finds vast diversity among viruses that infect bacteria
Saturday, March 26, 2016 - 10:30
in Biology & Nature
Viruses that infect bacteria are among the most abundant life forms on Earth. Our oceans and soils, and potentially even our own bodies, would be overrun with bacteria were it not for bacteria-eating viruses--called bacteriophages--that keep the microbial balance in check. Now, a new study suggests that bacteriophages made of RNA -- a close chemical cousin of DNA -- likely play a much larger role in shaping the bacterial makeup of worldwide habitats than previously recognized.