This last year has had many important developments in the field of microbiology, but by far one of the most interesting is the publication discovery of the Pandoravirus genus of viruses. Published in the July 19th 2013 issue of Science Magazine, it is undeniably the biggest virus ever discovered; both in terms of its genome (2.5 MILLION base pairs in length) and it’s physical size ( at 1 micrometer in length it can be seen with a LIGHT microscope!).

So why do these new viruses matter? Why is it so groundbreaking to find a virus of this size? Read on to learn more about the importance of the discovery of these giant viruses. Continue reading Opening Pandora’s Box to find the largest virus on Earth →