Researchers bring 48,500-year-old ‘zombie viruses’ to life

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For many, the thought of another pandemic evokes fear and terror. But that could very well be the case again. Warmer temperatures in the Arctic are thawing the region’s permafrost and ancient viruses are resurfacing. “If there’s a virus hidden in the permafrost that we haven’t come into contact with for thousands of years, our immune system may not be enough,” Birgitta Evengard, emeritus professor of clinical microbiology in Sweden, explains the development in the Arctic to CNN. You and other experts are therefore sounding the alarm: the risks should not be underestimated.

So far, the permafrost has kept the unknown dangers at bay. The thick layer of ice essentially served as a storage medium, providing an oxygen-free and opaque environment. However, the Arctic is currently warming four times faster than the rest of the world, melting away the top layer of permafrost.

Zombie viruses are thawing

Jean-Michel Claverie, emeritus professor of medicine and genomics in Marseille, examined soil samples from the Siberian permafrost to see if the virus particles they contained were still contagious. The researcher made a shocking observation: he encountered ‘zombie viruses’, as he calls them.

Claverie and his team were able to prove that ancient amoebic viruses, ie viruses that only affect unicellular amoebas, are still infectious and can be resurrected. The oldest sample was nearly 48,500 years old. For safety reasons, he and his team decided to study a virus that can only infect single-celled amoebas, but not animals or humans.

“We see the traces of many, many, many other viruses”

The researcher fears that his observations could be more than a fascinating discovery, but a serious threat to humanity. Because: “We see the traces of many, many, many other viruses.”

There is a risk that there is a virus that can be dangerous for humans. “We’re not sure if they’re still alive. But we assume that if the amoebic viruses are still alive, there’s no reason why the other viruses shouldn’t be,” he explains. At the moment, however, scientists can’t say for sure how long the viruses can remain contagious when exposed to current conditions.

A 2016 anthrax outbreak in Siberia showed that this isn’t just theory: Ancient spores of Bacillus anthracis from ancient graves or cadavers were released when the permafrost thawed. Dozens of people fell ill. That’s why biology professor Birgitta Evengard is concerned. “If there’s a virus hidden in the permafrost that we haven’t come into contact with for thousands of years, our immune system may not be up to the task.” (lia)

Source: Blick