Mirus-Viruses : A Buried Ocean Secret

The discovery of newly found viruses buried deep in the ocean bed has been the talk of science town for quite a while now. They flourish in sunlit ocean floors from one pole end to another afflicting planktons all the way. The origin of the name given to these new found organisms traces back to having Latin roots with ‘Mirus’ meaning “strange”.

Research finalizes on these group of viruses being a part of a larger virus group - Duplodnaviri. This viral class also includes herpes viruses which are known to infect both humans and animals ,based on shared encoded genes. Mirus-viruses also share a decent amount of genes with a group of giant viruses - Varidnaviria. It is a possibility that Mirus-viruses can be a hybrid of these two distinctly related viral families, referred to as a chimera.

Herpes viruses are a viral family whose origin could never properly be deciphered. Strong ancestral linkage of Herpesviruses with Mirus-viruses points at a possible planktonic origin for the former group. Studies further conducted would unravel evolutionary secrets that would be a boon for the world of science.

Mirus-Viruses control plankton activity and thereby contribute to overall health of the marine ecosystem

References:

1.https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/microbiology/bizarre-never-before-seen-viruses-discovered-thriving-throughout-the-worlds-oceans

2.https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/plankton-organisms-drifting-oceans-seas-zooplankton-1356428927?utm_campaign=image&utm_medium=googleimages&utm_source=iptc