In the last thirty years, in environments all over the world, scientists have discovered giants among viruses. Culturing studies have been key to understanding these viruses’ host range, morphological structures, and infection strategies. More recently, researchers have employed cultivation-independent approaches to discover thousands of new giant viruses, rapidly expanding the diversity of the Nucleocytoviricota phylum. A new review provides a perspective on giant virus diversity, and how sequencing and bioinformatics have sped up the study of giant viruses.
JGI and Biosciences authors on the paper are Tanja Woyke and Frederik Schulz, who joined Chantal Abergel of Aix Marseille University for the review.
Learn more on the JGI website.
