NPR

Every Day, Tons Of Viruses Are Swept Into The Sky And Fall Back Down To Earth

For the first time, scientists measured the quantity of viruses that are swept into the Earth's atmosphere and then fall back down. The study explains why similar viruses are spread across the globe.
A dust storm moves across the barren plains of northern Kenya in March 2006. Viruses are swept up into the atmosphere via dust storms and ocean spray, and then fall back down to the surface.

Scientists now think they understand why so many viruses seem able to exist in widely varying ecosystems on Earth.

There are an enormous number of viruses that get sucked up into the outer atmosphere and then fall out of the sky and scatter across the globe, according to new research published in the.

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