obelisk

The latest discovery in the field of micro-organisms has been named the obelisk by the Stanford University team which discovered it.  The obelisk (so named from its rod-like shape) is comprised of loops of RNA and an enzyme which allows it to replicate when it enters a human cell.  The obelisk contains a single major protein (called lublin) which bears no resemblance to any other protein.  As usual there is the debate about whether this microorganism can be considered to be ‘alive’ or not since its activity is so restricted. Obelisks lie somewhere between viruses which are also restricted in their behaviour but which have definite  protective shells, and viroids which are fragments of RNA with the ability to self-replicate but no protective shell. Obelisks are virus-like but have no protein coat. The Stanford team have identified almost 30,000 different obelisks found in the mouth and the gut of human beings.  At the moment we know so little about them that no one is sure whether they are good guys or bad guys, something that assists human metabolism or something that causes disease.