March 3, 2018

Tupanvirus soda lake (Image Nature Communications)

An article published in the journal “Nature Communications” describes the discovery of two species of giant viruses that were called Tupanvirus, attributed to the Mimiviridae family, the same that includes other giant virus species discovered in recent years. A team of researchers from various international institutions discovered these two viruses that are larger than some bacteria and have some unusual characteristics for viruses, such as the genes for the synthesis of a lot of proteins.