Q&A: Thousands of RNA Viruses Newly Discovered in Ocean Water

The Scientist spoke with Ohio State University microbiologist Matthew Sullivan about a recent expedition that identified thousands of RNA viruses from water samples and cataloged them into novel phylogenic groups.

Written byDan Robitzski

| 6 min read

a research sailboat with white sails inscribed with "tara ocean" traverses a body of water with small, rocky islands in the background

Image credit:© SACHA BOLLET FONDATION / TARA OCEAN

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A study published in Science today (April 7) describes thousands of newly discovered RNA viruses and doubles the number of phyla in which they’re grouped from 5 to 10.

A team led by Ohio State University microbiologist Matthew Sullivan collected ocean water samples, primarily around the Arctic Circle, and sequenced them for viral RNA by searching for genes encoding RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which RNA viruses use to replicate. The team then used a supercomputer and a machine learning algorithm to build a phylogenetic tree for RNA viruses that introduces several new phyla, update some that were already established, and fill in some of the missing gaps in the viruses’ evolutionary history.

The Scientist spoke with Sullivan to learn more about the project and how the results could serve as a resource for better understanding Earth’s RNA viruses.

Matthew Sullivan: I’ve studied DNA viruses for a long time, and we’ve ...

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Meet the Author

Dan Robitzski
Dan is an award-winning journalist based in Los Angeles who joined The Scientist as a reporter and editor in 2021. Ironically, Dan’s undergraduate degree and brief career in neuroscience inspired him to write about research rather than conduct it, culminating in him earning a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University in 2017. In 2018, an Undark feature Dan and colleagues began at NYU on a questionable drug approval decision at the FDA won first place in the student category of the Association of Health Care Journalists' Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. Now, Dan writes and edits stories on all aspects of the life sciences for the online news desk, and he oversees the “The Literature” and “Modus Operandi” sections of the monthly TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. Read more of his work at danrobitzski.com.
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