The Atlantic

Even Viruses Can Get Infected With Other Viruses

Three tiny, newly described viruses—named Larry, Curly, and Moe—target bigger viruses.
Source: Brian Lasenby / Shutterstock

In a single drop of water from Lake Ontario, you can find an abundance of algae. In these algae, scientists in 2015 found a new virus belonging to an enigmatic group called giant viruses. And nested inside these giant viruses, scientists have now found yet more novel viruses—three tiny ones that they have named CpV-PLV Larry, Curly, and Moe.

“I originally named them to see if I can get away with it,” says , now a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan. He’s a co-author of a new

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