Qβ has been isolated all over the world, multiple times, with various subspecies that code for nearly identical proteins but can have very different nucleotide sequences.

The genome is highly structured, regulating gene expression and protecting itself from host RNases.

[4] In fact, pure Qbeta polymerase is not soluble enough to be produced in large quantities, and a fusion protein constructed from the replicase and the two EF subunits is usually used instead.

[9] The mechanism of lysis is similar to that of penicillin; A2 inhibits the formation of peptidoglycan by binding to MurA, which catalyzes the first enzymatically committed step in cell wall biosynthesis.

He ended up with Spiegelman's Monster, a minimal RNA chain of only 218 nucleotides that can be replicated by Qβ replicase.