Giant Virus That Builds Proteins

Tupanvirus is an unusually complex giant virus that carries almost all of the genes needed for making proteins, including an extensive set of transfer RNAs and translation-related factors. Discovered in Brazilian aquatic environments, it has one of the most elaborate protein-synthesis toolkits ever seen in a virus. Its near-complete translation machinery blurs the traditional line between simple viruses and fully living cells, challenging how biologists define life.

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