Editing Viroid (section)

===Obelisks===
{{Main|Obelisk (biology)}}
After applying [[metatranscriptomics]] – the computer-aided search for RNA sequences and their analysis – biologists reported in January 2024 the discovery of "[[Obelisk (life form)|obelisks]]", a new class of viroid-like elements, and "oblins", their related group of proteins, in the [[human microbiome]]. Given that the RNA sequences recovered do not have [[Homology (biology)|homologies]] in any other known life form, the researchers suggest that the obelisks are distinct from viruses, viroids and viroid-like entities, and thus form an entirely new class of organisms.<ref name="SA-20240129">{{cite journal |last=Koumoundouros |first=Tessa |title='Obelisks': Entirely New Class of Life Has Been Found in The Human Digestive System |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/obelisks-entirely-new-class-of-life-has-been-found-in-the-human-digestive-system |date=29 January 2024 |journal=[[ScienceAlert]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20240129133614/https://www.sciencealert.com/obelisks-entirely-new-class-of-life-has-been-found-in-the-human-digestive-system |archivedate=29 January 2024 |accessdate=29 January 2024 }}</ref><ref name="BRX-20240121">{{Cite Q|Q124389714 |last1=Zheludev |first1=Ivan N. |last2=Edgar |first2=Robert C. |last3=Lopez-Galiano |first3=Maria Jose |last4=de la Peña |first4=Marcos |last5=Artem |first5=Babaian |last6=Bhatt |first6=Ami S. |last7=Fire |first7=Andrew Z. |author-link6=Ami Bhatt |author-link7=Andrew Fire |doi-access=free |url-status=live |accessdate=29 January 2024}}</ref>