New evolutionary frontiers from unusual virus genomes

https://t.co/AD781feTrE New evolutionary frontiers from unusual virus genomes

Mimivirus encodes components, "many of which have not previously been identified in viruses." https://t.co/8IOhK0lSaQ

Mimivirus "encodes an unprecedented number of components of...transcriptional, translational and replication." https://t.co/8IOhK0lSaQ

"Mimivirus has the largest known viral genome (1.18 megabase-pairs)." https://t.co/8IOhK0lSaQ

Viruses "have arguably fallen by the wayside in the genomics revolution." https://t.co/8IOhK0lSaQ

"Yet viruses are not considered to be alive by most biologists." https://t.co/8IOhK0lSaQ

Viruses "are profoundly important in shaping the ecology and evolution of just about every species on Earth." https://t.co/8IOhK0lSaQ

Viruses "are numerically the most abundant biological entities." https://t.co/8IOhK0lSaQ

"If an alien landed on Earth...it might justifiably conclude that viruses run the planet." And bacteria. https://t.co/8IOhK0Dt2o