48,500-Year-Old Zombie Virus Buried In Ice Is Resurrected By Scientists

Researchers that recovered nearly two dozen viruses, including one that was frozen under a lake more than 48,500 years ago, believe that the thawing of ancient permafrost caused by climate change may provide a new threat to people.

Researchers from Europe analyzed prehistoric samples taken from permafrost in Russia’s Siberia. They discovered that 13 new diseases, which they resurrected and classified as zombie viruses, continued to be contagious despite spending many ages frozen on the earth.

The thawing of permafrost brought on by atmospheric warming has long been predicted by scientists to accelerate climate change by releasing methane and other previously contained greenhouse gases. Less is known about its impact on latent infections.

Due to the strains they targeted, primarily those able to infect amoeba microbes, the team of researchers from Russia, Germany, and France claimed the biological risk of reanimating the viruses they studied was totally negligible. They cautioned 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.

News Mania Desk