Just in, Chinese
scientists today being  Thursday discovered about 1,445 new RNA virus species, and
this is expected to facilitate future studies in virus evolution and
the origins of life.

Zhang Yongzhen, researcher with
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National
Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, said in
Beijing.

One of the researcher Yongzhen said that the research was led a team of scientists at the CDC, with the findings published online in the journal Nature.

“The discovery of the new virus species will challenge current rules in classifying viruses.

The team found the new viruses by
studying over 220 invertebrate species, a wide range of creatures,
including insects that account for 95 per cent of the world’s animals.

Some of the new viruses can be
classified as new virus families, given their differences to known
virus species.’’

Xu Jianqing, professor at the
Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Fudan University, also said the new
research had also revealed the co-evolution of viruses.

“Especially hosts cells that
harbour viruses as well as the way hosts switch viruses as they evolve,
which is likely to revolutionise people’s understanding of the origins
of life,’’ Xu Concluded 

Source: Daily Trust, Xinhua, NAN