48,500-Year-Old Zombie Virus That Poses a Pandemic Threat

Pranay

11 months ago

48,500-Year-Old Zombie Virus:

Scientists recently revived ancient “zombie viruses” found in the melting Arctic permafrost, which could potentially lead to a dangerous disease outbreak. They’re sounding the alarm about dormant viruses lurking beneath the ice caps in the Arctic and other areas. The concern arises as rising global temperatures, driven by climate change, are causing the once-frozen ice to thaw. This thawing process could release these dormant viruses, posing a serious global health risk, as reported by The Guardian.

Ancient ‘Zombie Viruses’ Unearthed in Siberia Could Spark a Global Health Crisis”:

To grasp the dangers linked to these viruses, a scientist brought back some of the “zombie viruses” from samples taken from the frozen ground in Siberian Russia last year. These viruses, kept in the soil for thousands of years, could be the cause of a new disease outbreak, as pointed out by Geneticist Jean-Michel Claverie from Aix-Marseille University. Claverie is worried that our attention is mainly on pandemic threats emerging in warmer areas and spreading toward the colder regions, overlooking the possibility of a disease outbreak starting in the far north and moving toward the south.

Permafrost Perils: Ancient Viruses Resurrected – A Potential Threat to Human Health:

Virus expert Marion Koopmans from the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam has raised concerns about the hidden dangers lurking in permafrost. According to her, these ancient viruses have the potential to kick off a disease outbreak, possibly resembling an ancient form of polio.

Even after spending thousands of years frozen in permafrost, live viruses have shown their ability to infect single-celled organisms. This discovery was made by a team led by Claverie in Siberia back in 2014. Subsequent investigations in the following year found virus strains in different parts of Siberia, proving their ability to infect cultured cells.

One of the virus samples discovered was a staggering 48,500 years old.

Unraveling the Risks and Mysteries of Ancient Viruses:

Claverie clarified that the viruses found in isolation don’t directly threaten humans. However, he highlighted the discovery of genetic traces of poxviruses and herpesviruses, which are known to cause diseases in humans.

The permafrost, covering a fifth of the Northern Hemisphere, acts like a time capsule, preserving the remains of extinct creatures and ancient viruses. This region is warming up rapidly, at a rate much higher than the global average, according to meteorologists.

Claverie explained that the unique conditions of permafrost, being cold, dark, and lacking oxygen, make it ideal for preserving biological material. As an analogy, he mentioned that you could store yogurt in permafrost, and it might still be edible even after 50,000 years.

Thawing Arctic, Rising Dangers:

The risk stems from the disappearing Arctic sea ice, which is making way for more shipping, traffic, and industrial activities in Siberia.

Scientists highlight that extensive land use can bring back these ancient viruses. They point to instances like Nipah virus and monkeypox, where human activities led to the transmission of pathogens to humans.

The potential disastrous consequences could start when miners inhale these viruses, escalating the global health threat, caution the scientists.