Mysterious New Life Form Discovered in the Human Gut

Scientists have discovered a new class of life within the human digestive system, dubbed 'Obelisks'. Unlike known viruses, Obelisks possess unique protein-coding abilities. Researchers identified at least 30,000 distinct Obelisks in roughly 10% of the human microbiomes examined, suggesting they may be colonizers of these microbiomes. Their origin remains unclear, but they all contain codes for a novel protein class called 'Oblins', differentiating them from other RNA loops like viroids. The findings, published on the preprint server bioRxiv, require further peer review.