Wait, What? Robot Sub Finds Virus On Seafloor

Photo credit: Discovery News

Of all the things you’d expect to find in the ocean depths, chances are that a virus doesn’t make the list.

With extreme pressure and temperatures, the seafloor isn’t the easiest place to live, but a primitive single-celled organism called archaea is right at home.

Scientists believe archaea was one of the earliest life forms in the sea, arising 3.5 billion years ago. It resembles bacteria but has a different genetic makeup. It eats methane and breathes sulfur or metal instead of oxygen. That’s how its able to survive in this rugged seascape.

And its not alone. With a grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers from the University of California-Santa Barbara have discovered a new virus that infects archaea by targeting one of its own genes for mutation.

“Our study uncovers mechanisms by which viruses and archaea can adapt in this hostile environment,” David Valentine, a UCSB geoscientist and co-author of the Nature article, explained in a press release.

Robotic submarine Alvin found this virus on the seafloor off the coast of Santa Monica, about 3400 feet below the surface.

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