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A virus is wreaking havoc in the ice of Greenland. A giant virus has been discovered in it. Actually scientists are wondering what exactly it is? As the ice melts, scientists are observing dormant algae. They found something very unexpected. Experts from the Department of Environmental Science of Aarhus University have discovered a 'giant virus'. The question arises, what is a giant virus compared to a normal sized virus?
Viruses have very large genome sequences
According to the researcher, it has a much larger genome sequence than a normal virus. Such a virus was first found in the sea in 1981. They usually infect algae in the sea. But this is the first time that a giant virus has been found in such a place. Researchers do not see this as bad news yet. They believe that the giant virus can act as a secret weapon and reduce ice melting. The study related to this has been published in the Microbiome Journal.
Can ice melting be prevented?
'We don't know much about viruses, but I think they could act as a way to reduce the melting of ice caused by algae blooms,' says the informant. How specific it is and how efficient it would be, we don't know yet. But we hope to answer some of their questions. The team collected samples from the ice sheet, including dark ice cores, red and green ice. After analyzing the DNA, the researchers found sequences that matched a known giant virus.
What is a giant virus?
Giant viruses are usually much smaller than bacteria. The size of a normal virus is 20-200 nanometers. While the size of normal bacteria is 2-3 micrometers. In other words, a normal virus is about 1000 times smaller than bacteria. But giant viruses grow up to 2.5 micrometers in size. This is larger than most bacteria. However, they are not so big that they can be seen with the naked eye. Regular equipment is needed to find them. Giant viruses are also invisible to light microscopes.