Daily Mail News – Science
By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 15:01 EST, 7 November 2023 | UPDATED: 16:36 EST, 7 November 2023
Scientists have observed ‘vampire viruses’ for the first time – pathogens that latch onto other viruses in order to replicate themselves.
Researchers have known for decades, in theory, that some viruses prey on other viruses, unlike most that self-replicate.
Now, under a microscope, a team of researchers in Maryland has watched this process that involves a ‘satellite’ and ‘helper’ virus.
The strain of bacteriophage, a type of virus that infects bacteria, latched onto a soil-borne virus’s ‘neck’ – the place where the capsid joins the tail of the virus.