On November 30, scientists in Moscow brought back a zombie virus that had been buried under a frozen lake in the country for 48,500 years. According to the New York Post, the researchers struck fear into the population with the prospect of a new one pandemic After the revival of this dynasty. Learn more about this news.
Read more: Should we be afraid? A virus that was frozen 48,500 years ago has come back to life in Siberia
Epidemics may be more common in the future
Global warming is thawing large swaths of “permanently frozen” land covering the northern hemisphere. This event created disturbing effects by releasing organic matter such as spores, cellular microbes, and viruses that had been inactive since prehistoric times.
The situation could become even more catastrophic if the emergence of these microorganisms causes deadly diseases for the world’s population today. Are you ready to experience something like this again?
Zombie virus news
According to the New York Post, scientists have revived some “zombie viruses” to investigate the creatures that have awakened from the permafrost, that is, from the frozen ground. The oldest, Pandoravirus Redoma, was 48,500 years old, breaking the record for a 30,000-year-old virus identified in Siberia in 2013 by the same researchers.
Science Alert said that the new strain is among the 13 viruses in the study and that each of them has its own genome and the potential to be infectious, which poses a danger to humans. health to the community. Therefore, it is believed that epidemics such as Covid-19 will become frequent, because thawing permafrost releases long-dormant viruses with harmful potential.
The scientists said it was legitimate to consider the risks of returning old viral particles back into circulation by dissolving old soil layers. According to them, unfortunately, these discoveries may just be the tip of the pandemic iceberg, as there are still more hibernating viruses to be discovered in the coming years.
Another point of great importance refers to the vicious circle, in which the organic matter released from the melting of ice decomposes into carbon dioxide and methane, which increases the greenhouse effect and melts. Thus, more research is needed to assess the level of infectivity of unknown viruses when exposed to all environmental variables such as light, heat, and oxygen.
