Chinese researchers have discovered a new virus at the bottom of the ocean, in the deepest part of the earth. The virus found in sediment five miles below sea level in the Mariana Trenchthe lowest point on earth in the Pacific Ocean and south of Japan.

Min Wang, a marine virologist at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao, who led the research, said “the virus is bacteriophage, so it survives by infecting and replicating bacteria. The species are usually harmless to human cells as they do not recognize them as their prey.”

The bacteria, which are infected with the virus, are commonly found in deep-ocean sediments and hydrothermal vents – or vents on the sea floor that release currents of warm water, according to the report.

According to Wang, “an analysis of the virus’s genetic material suggests the existence of a previously unknown family of viruses in the ocean. It also gives new insights into deep-sea phages and phage-host interactions.”

As the Daily Mail reports, the new virus is identified as vB_HmeY_H4907 and its analysis shows that it has a similar structure to its host. The virus invades and reproduces inside the host and usually it does not kill the bacterial cell.

According to the British newspaper, the research team looked for viruses in bacterial strains collected and isolated by another group led by Yu-Zhong Zhangalso a marine virologist at the Ocean University of China. Wang said that the researchers’ findings lead to new questions and research about how viruses in harsh, isolated environments stay alive and how they co-evolve with their hosts.

The team wants to continue the investigating interactions between deep-sea viruses and their hosts and searching for new viruses in other extreme places. “Extreme environments offer optimal prospects for discovering new viruses”Wang said.