48,500-year-old ‘zombie viruses’ released by thawing permafrost

Global warming has several impacts on our environment. In particular, it accelerates the thawing of permafrost, which contains many viruses dating back thousands of years. “zombie viruses” that could be released.

According to a pre-published study, the thawing of permafrost could lead to zombie virus release. This is one of the consequences of global warming, among many others. After the forest fires and the rising waters, now viruses as old as the world are about to appear.

A group of scientists studied 13 virus that were in the Siberian permafrost. A study, led by the CNRS microbiologist Jean-Marie Alempic, was carried out and according to the latter, “a quarter of the northern hemisphere is covered with permanently frozen ground”. This is permafrost or permafrost. Permafrost refers to soil whose temperature is below 0°C for more than two years in a row. This soil can be found in Canada or in Siberia, which represents 20% of the earth’s surface.

Viruses are contained in the permafrost, and a melting of this ground would cause the release of these so-called “zombie” viruses. This name comes from the fact that these viruses are locked in ice for thousands of years. It could therefore be very serious, if they were to be released.

Scientists have found that even after 48,500 years in permafrost, a virus still remains infectious. « The situation would be much more disastrous in the case of plant, animal or human diseases caused by the resurgence of an old unknown virus. » This is the case for at least one of the viruses studied, despite the time spent under the ice, if it were brought to the surface, it would be guaranteed contamination.

In addition, the risk of zombie viruses escaping from permafrost is increasingly important in this context of global warming. In effect, the melting of the ice will only accelerate. Therefore, some people will look favorably on the melting, and take advantage of it to industrialize the Arctic. People will therefore settle there and it would be dangerous given the many viruses contained in these lands. It is therefore logical to think that zombie viruses represent a threat for the rest of us.

Fortunately, technology and advances in research would allow global organizations to deal with those zombie virusesas was the case with Covid-19.

“It is reasonable to hope that an epidemic caused by a revivified prehistoric pathogenic bacterium could be quickly controlled by the modern antibiotics at our disposal”says the team of scientists.

It is important to anticipate the fact that these viruses may appear, because they pose a threat to us. Moreover, scientists are in the total unknown, concerning characteristics of virus propagation. By spread, we mean how they might spread as well as how zombie viruses will react once free.

According to the study conducted by these scientists, it is impossible to say how long these viruses would remain infectious “once exposed to external conditions” (UV light, oxygen, heat).

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