Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to make a major discovery, identifying over 160,000 new species of RNA viruses—most of which were previously unknown. This breakthrough comes from a study recently published in the journal Cell. The team of scientists developed an AI tool called LucaProt, which helped them find these viruses by analyzing data from over 10,000 samples taken from various ecosystems around the world.
LucaProt works by combining information from both the genetic sequences and the structure of viruses, allowing it to find even the most unusual types of RNA viruses. By using this approach, the researchers were able to detect 161,979 new virus species, including some with very long genomes, up to 47,250 nucleotides in length. Many of these viruses were discovered in extreme environments like hot springs, hydrothermal vents, and even the air.
What makes this study so important is that traditional tools often fail to identify highly unusual RNA viruses because they evolve so quickly and have very different genetic structures from those we already know. To solve this problem, LucaProt used AI technology to search for a protein called RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), which is important for RNA viruses to replicate. This new method was able to identify viruses that older methods might have missed.
The scientists found these viruses in many different environments, showing just how widespread they are. Some were found in places where you wouldn’t normally expect viruses to live, such as deep-sea vents and salty lakes. These discoveries highlight how little we know about the “virosphere,” the vast world of viruses that exists all around us.
The researchers now want to learn more about which organisms these newly discovered viruses infect. This will help them understand the role that viruses play in different ecosystems. One of the study’s co-authors, Shi Mang, is working on a new model to predict the hosts of these viruses.
This discovery is significant not only because it expands our knowledge of RNA viruses but also because it could help scientists better understand how viruses evolve and spread. Some of these viruses might even cause diseases in humans, so understanding them could help explain mysterious illnesses in the future.
