‘Wildly weird’ RNA bits discovered infesting the microbes in our guts

Tiny scraps of genetic material dubbed Obelisks have been discovered in human gut and mouth bacteria. The flattened circles of RNA are even smaller than viruses and too minimalistic to be considered a standard life form, but they can still transmit instructions to cells. Their genetic sequences are very different from similarly shaped RNA structures called viroids that have been found in plants, fungi and animals. Nobody knows how Obelisks might affect human health.