Scientists Revive 'Zombie' Virus , Frozen in Permafrost for , Almost 50,000 Years.
French professor Jean-Michel Claverie discovered
the 48,000-year-old frozen virus at several
permafrost sites located in Siberia. .
Business Insider reports that his team found that the
"zombie" virus could still infect single-celled amoebas.
Business Insider reports that his team found that the
"zombie" virus could still infect single-celled amoebas.
The oldest strain that Claverie uncovered
dates back 48,500 years and was found in
a sample of soil from an underground lake.
The oldest strain that Claverie uncovered
dates back 48,500 years and was found in
a sample of soil from an underground lake.
The permafrost covers approximately
15% of the land in the Northern Hemisphere
and remains frozen throughout the year. .
The youngest samples discovered
originated some 27,000 years ago.
One of those relatively
younger samples was found
in the thawing carcass
of a woolly mammoth.
According to the researchers who made
the discovery, these types of long-frozen viruses
should be considered a threat to public heath. .
You must remember our immune
defense has been developed
in close contact with
microbiological surroundings, Birgitta Evengård, professor emerita at Umea University's
Department of Clinical Microbiology in Sweden, via CNN.
If there is a virus hidden in the permafrost that we have not been
in contact with for thousands of
years, it might be that our
immune defense is not sufficient, Birgitta Evengård, professor emerita at Umea University's
Department of Clinical Microbiology in Sweden, via CNN.
Rising global temperatures have caused
the permafrost to begin to rapidly thaw, threatening
to release a host of ancient viruses and bacteria.
