According to the French microbiologist and head of the research team, Jean-Marie Alempic: “Part of the organic matter is made up of resuscitated cells, such as prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes, as well as viruses that have remained dormant since prehistoric times.“.
With global warming and consequently the thawing of Siberian permafrost, researchers fear that pathogens perfectly preserved in the ice will be released. A situation that might lead to a catastrophe on a global scale since these viruses are a threat to public health.
Even if the life time of the viruses has not yet been detected, the researchers evoke a “real danger“, once they are exposed to heat and light. At this stage, it is still difficult for microbiologists to establish the probability that these pathogens have the ability to encounter and infect a form of life. They are, however, sounding the alarm regarding the risks caused by the increasing human presence within the poles.
The question that remains unanswered: will the next pandemic following Covid-19 come from the Arctic?
Another danger mentioned by the scientific world: the large quantity of organic matter which is transformed into carbon dioxide and methane as it heats up, certainly aggravating the greenhouse effect. And who says greenhouse effect says disappearance of Arctic glaciers and rising waters to work the planet.
