Previously Undiscovered Virus Found at Bottom of Pacific Ocean

Miles beneath the ocean, scientists have made an unusual discovery: a new virus.

Fortunately, it's not a horror from the deep. The virus, which researchers recovered from sediment within the Mariana Trench, poses no danger to human. Rather, the virus is a bacteriophage—Latin for "bacteria eater"—and does exactly what its name suggests. Specifically, this new bacteriophage appears to attack bacteria in the family Halomas, which is found in salt water.

An analysis of the virus' genome indicate it's likely found across much of the world's ocean floors, according to the findings published by the researchers in Microbiology Spectrum on Wednesday. And because the virus is lysogenic—replicating in host bacteria without killing them—it could offer hints to how viruses have evolved to spread in otherwise harsh environments. 

Min Wang, a marine virologist at China’s Ocean University, said she and her team plan to continue trawling the ocean's deepest corners: "Extreme environments offer optimal prospects for unearthing novel viruses."