Participants of the "Arctic Floating University – 2025" expedition are testing a new field method for concentrating viruses from Arctic lakes.
Scientists filter the water, removing bacteria and large particles, and then use magnetic microspheres to collect viral fragments that carry a negative charge. The resulting sediment will be analyzed using metagenomics — a method that allows studying the entire genetic material without cultivation.
We will try to concentrate the viral part of the water microbiome from the lakes. Working out this methodology is probably the main thing I would like to do on this voyage
The development is planned to be applied in the upcoming Antarctic expedition — to the lakes of East Antarctica, including the area of the Novolazarevskaya station.
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