The last universal cellular ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population of organisms from
which all cellular life on Earth descends. The reconstruction of the genome and phenotype …

Tailed bacteriophages with genomes larger than 200 kbp are classified as Jumbo phages,
and are rarely isolated by conventional methods. These phages are designated “jumbo” …

Most current approaches for analyzing metagenomic data rely on comparisons to reference
genomes, but the microbial diversity of many environments extends far beyond what is …

Viruses are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on earth, and while most of
this diversity remains completely unexplored, advances in genome sequencing have …

Biofilms are an extremely common adaptation, allowing bacteria to colonize hostile
environments. They present unique problems for antibiotics and biocides, both due to the …

Abstract The Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses (NCLDV) of eukaryotes (proposed
order “Megavirales”) comprise an expansive group of eukaryotic viruses that consists of the …

Viruses infecting prokaryotic cells (phages) are the most abundant entities of the biosphere
and contain a largely uncharted wealth of genomic diversity. They play a critical role in the …

Accurate inference of orthologous genes is a pre-requisite for most comparative genomics
studies, and is also important for functional annotation of new genomes. Identification of …

Virus genomes are prone to extensive gene loss, gain, and exchange and share no
universal genes. Therefore, in a broad-scale study of virus evolution, gene and genome …

Burgeoning problems of antimicrobial resistance dictate that new solutions be developed to
combat old foes. Use of lytic bacteriophages (phages) for the treatment of drug-resistant …