Discovery of Thousands of Unknown Viruses in Babies' Diapers

Researchers studying the feces of 647 healthy Danish 1-year-olds have discovered 10,000 new viruses in infant feces, many of which have yet to be described by science. The viruses were 10 times more abundant than the bacterial species in the children's feces, and 90% of them were bacteriophages, which attack bacteria instead of human cells. The researchers believe that the high species richness of gut viruses in infants is likely needed to protect against chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes later on in life.