The Billion-Year Arms Race Between Viruses and Hosts.
Researchers propose a new evolutionary model for the origin of Bamfordvirae, a kingdom of viruses, suggesting a billion-year evolutionary arms race between two groups within this kingdom and their hosts. The study provides convincing analyzes that advance our understanding of the deep evolutionary history of viruses, the interaction between viruses and the first eukaryotes, and the diversification of viral lineages. The study also supports the positioning of the Bamfordvirae ancestral root between virophages and the other viral lineages, pointing towards a new model for the evolutionary origins of these viruses.