Great Barrier Reef microbiome mapped as researchers discover 500 bacterial species previously unknown to science - The Guardian

A new study has found that adaptive molecular convergence—the process by which distantly related or unrelated species evolve the same genomic changes—is not as rare as previously thought.

In the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, scientists have discovered 11,742 viruses, about 99% of which had not been previously described. The researchers believe these viruses may play an important role in the functioning of the deep-sea ecosystem. Scientists collected samples of seafloor sediments in 2023 and 2024, after which they analyzed the viruses’ genetic material. The results of the study were published in the journal *Nature Communications*. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is known for its large deposits of polymetallic nodules containing manganese, cobalt, nickel, lithium, and zinc. These resources have industrial value, which is why the region is being considered for future deep-sea mining. At the same time, the nodules are an important part of the local ecosystem. Various organisms live on them, and many of the viruses identified likely infect bacteria and archaea involved in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metals. Scientists suggest that the viruses found may influence chemical processes in seafloor sediments. However, their exact role in the ecosystem remains poorly understood.

After using a technique called molecular clock analysis, researchers have proposed that the origin of animals could be 200 million years earlier than thought.