By Collecting Whale Breath, Researchers Detected a Deadly Virus in the Arctic for the First Time

By Collecting Whale Breath, Researchers Detected a Deadly Virus in the Arctic for the First Time

Flying a drone with Petri dishes above exhaling whales helped scientists identify a dangerous pathogen that can damage the animals' respiratory, immune and nervous systems

Whales and orcas were carrying viruses no one knew existed

Researchers studying Caribbean whales and orcas have discovered two new viruses not previously observed in these animals. The viruses were found using advanced genetic sequencing of archived samples, revealing a previously invisible layer of marine life. Their genetic makeup suggests these viruses may have ancient roots in whale evolution. What they mean for whale health is still a mystery, but the discovery opens the door to many new questions.

Drones Detect Virus in Arctic Whales' Breath » Explorersweb

A deadly virus is striking Arctic whales. Humpback whales in Norway, along with one sperm whale and one pilot whale, were found to have cetacean morbillivirus, a deadly disease for whales, porpoises and dolphins. Humpbacks across the Northeast Atlantic also carried herpes viruses. Detecting health issues in whales and dolphins is incredibly difficult. Until now, researchers usually identified Illnesses after the animal died and washed ashore. No…