A team of Danish researchers from Aarhus University has discovered unusually large and complex viruses in Greenland. This is a very rare type of microbes that devour algae. And they were found among the ice for the first time.
Danish researchers suggest that viruses may have evolved along with their host algae. This close connection between the two life forms will help preserve the reflectivity of ice, slow down its melting rate and mitigate some of the effects of global warming.
Having understood the genetic mechanism of giant viruses, scientists expect to use them to protect the Greenland ice sheet from rapid melting and extinction, aif.ru reports.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
