Scientists who revived nearly two dozen viruses, including one that was frozen under a lake more than 48,500 years ago believed that the thawing of ancient permafrost caused by climate change may present a new threat to humans.
Photo via the New York Post
The scientists from Europe examined the prehistoric samples taken from permafrost in Siberia, Russia.
They also discovered and identified 13 new pathogens which they termed the “zombie virus” and found that they remained infectious despite spending many millennia trapped in the frozen ice.
According to NDTV, scientists have long warned that the thawing of permafrost due to atmospheric warming will worsen climate change by freeing previously trapped greenhouse gasses like methane.
A team of scientists from Russia, Germany and France said the biological risk of reanimating the viruses they studied was “totally negloigible” due to the strains they targeted, mainly those capable of infecting amoeba microbes.
They warned that their work can be extrapolated to show the danger is real, saying that the potential revival of a virus that could infect humans or animals is much more problematic.
The researchers published their findings in a preprint article on the preprint server bioRxiv that hasn't yet undergone peer review, "It is thus likely that ancient permafrost will release these unknown viruses upon thawing," they wrote.
Photo via Zee News
“It is currently impossible to predict how long these viruses might remain contagious after being exposed to outdoor conditions or how likely it will be that they will come into contact with and infect a suitable host during that time.”
They continued, “The risk is bound to increase in the context of global warming when permafrost thawing happens, and more people will be populating the Arctic in the wake of industrial ventures.”
Oh no, that sounds scary!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
