Scientists warn, frozen viruses awakening
Pathogens once widespread on Earth, but frozen in ice for thousands of years, are starting to awaken. Scientists issue a serious warning about the issue.
- Health
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 04:40 | 31 July 2023
- Modified Date: 04:46 | 31 July 2023
Alongside the threats posed by global warming to various species, including humans, there may be unforeseen problems emerging as well. Scientists warn that frozen viruses can be revived due to climate change and global warming, leading to the spread of various diseases.
In 2003, bacteria were revived from samples taken from beneath a glacier on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which was over 750,000 years old. In 2014, a massive "zombie" virus called Pithovirus sibericum was revived from a 30,000-year-old Siberian permafrost. And in 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Western Siberia was linked to the rapid thawing of B. anthracis spores in frozen soil.
Noticeably higher temperatures in the Arctic are already melting the permafrost, the permanently frozen layer beneath the Earth's surface in the region. Researchers are now evaluating the potential risks posed by trapped bacteria and viruses to humans.
The world's climate is warming at an unprecedented rate, with up to four times faster warming in colder regions like the Arctic. Estimates suggest that we could expect the release of quadrillions (4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) of microorganisms each year from the melting ice. This is roughly equivalent to the estimated number of stars in the universe. However, despite the release of numerous microorganisms, including potentially infectious pathogens, from the melting ice, no one could have predicted the risk it poses to modern ecosystems.
A new study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology calculated the ecological risks caused by the unpredictable release of ancient viruses. Simulations show that the release of just one dormant pathogen at a rate of 1% could lead to significant environmental damage and widespread loss of host organisms worldwide.
Significant viruses like SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, and HIV had also likely jumped to humans through contact with other animal hosts. Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that a once frozen virus could spread to the human population from animals.