Researchers find more than 10,000 new types of viruses in ice

Countless remains of times gone by have been found in the permafrost and glaciers of the cold regions of our world – from tiny creatures to fossils to entire mammoth babies. And not all animals found have already died.

Under certain conditions, microorganisms trapped and preserved in ice can come back to life – and possibly even pose a danger to us humans if, for example, pathogens rise from the eternal ice.

Now a new study shows just how diverse the world of microorganisms in permafrost and glaciers can be. To do this, researchers from Lanzhou University in China spent several years taking and examining samples from a total of 38 glaciers in high mountain and polar regions around the world. They published the results in the journal ‘Science Bulletin’.

The results are impressive. The scientists have been able to identify the DNA of a total of 10,840 new viruses. As the research shows, this number is fifteen times higher than previously thought. However, 83 percent of the types of viruses found are bacteriophages, which attack bacteria and therefore do not pose a direct threat to humans.

However, the risk from the viruses is not zero. Some viruses do not appear to kill their bacterial host immediately, allowing infected bacteria to live on. In addition, the genetic material of the viruses can be transferred to that of the bacteria – thus causing the bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotics only work against bacteria, not viruses.