# Recovering new viruses from New Mexico soils

## TL;DR

This study used advanced sequencing techniques to discover thousands of new viral genomes in New Mexico soils, highlighting the value of size filtering in uncovering complex viral communities.

## Contribution

The study introduces a significant dataset of high-quality viral genomes from New Mexico soils and emphasizes the effectiveness of size-filtered virome sequencing.

## Key findings

- 4,157 high-quality viral genomes were recovered from New Mexico soils.
- 90% of the genomes came from size-filtered samples, showing the method's effectiveness.
- The study highlights the diversity and complexity of soil viromes at high elevations.

## Abstract

Here, we utilized metagenomic and size-filtered virome sequencing to recover 4,157 medium, high, or complete quality viral genomes from soils taken from three high elevation sites in New Mexico, USA. Among recovered viral genomes, 90% were from size-filtered samples, indicating the importance of this enrichment in assessments of complex viromes.