Researchers have mapped the microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef, leading to the discovery of 500 bacterial species previously unknown to science. The comprehensive mapping effort also identified 808,585 viral genomes, which scientists estimate belong to 362,802 different viruses.
This major scientific milestone comes more than a decade after the human microbiome was comprehensively mapped. The newly gathered data provides unprecedented insight into the complex biological communities inhabiting the reef ecosystem.
In-depth summary · AI, neutral