Undersea warfare: Viruses hijack deep-sea bacteria at hydrothermal vents

Undersea warfare: Viruses hijack deep-sea bacteria at hydrothermal vents
Washington DC (SPX) May 02, 2014 - More than a mile beneath the ocean's surface, as dark clouds of mineral-rich water billow from seafloor hot springs called hydrothermal vents, unseen armies of viruses and bacteria wage war. Like pirates boarding a treasure-laden ship, the viruses infect bacterial cells to get the loot: tiny globules of elemental sulfur stored inside the bacterial cells. Instead of absconding with th ... more

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