Nearly 12,000 new viruses found in Pacific deep-sea mining zone

Researchers from Chongqing University analyzed over 60 seabed sediment samples from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and identified 11,742 viruses, of which 11,662 (over 99%) were previously unknown to science. The study provides a pre-mining baseline for the ecosystem ahead of potential commercial deep-sea mining.

• 11,742 viruses identified, 11,662 of them new to science
• Only 4% of protein clusters matched global reference databases
• Samples collected up to 6,000 m deep in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
• 17 exploration licenses granted in the zone, five held by China