Viruses may help store vast amounts of carbon in soil

Viruses that infect other microbes may influence the movement of more than a billion tonnes of carbon in soil, according to the first attempt at quantifying their role in one of the planet’s main carbon stores.

“While there are still gaps, we’re understanding that viruses can have a huge impact on soil carbon,” says Kirsten Hofmockel at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state.

Earth’s soils are packed with…