Obelisk (biology)
Obelisks are a newly discovered life form, as of early 2024. Obelisks are very small; they are smaller than viruses.[1] They are like viruses but different. Obelisks "are flattened circles of RNA."[1] There is great variety in their specific shapes: about 30,000 different shapes have been identified so far.[1] Obelisks have been found in humans' mouths and other parts of the digestive tract.[2][1]
"These mysterious bits of genetic material have no detectable sequences or even structural similarities known to any other biological agents."[2] How obelisks relate to their environment is not yet known.[2]
Further reading[change | change source]
- Original research pre-print: Zheludev, I. N. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.20.576352 (2024)
- https://www.newscientist.com/article/2414677-strange-virus-like-replicators-discovered-in-the-human-gut/