Scientists in Russia revive 48,500 years old Zombie Virus, new epidemic may come again in the world

Posted on 30th Nov 2022 by rohit kumar

French scientists have claimed to have revived the 48,500-year-old zombie virus buried under a frozen lake in Russia. According to the New York Post, French scientists have feared another pandemic after reviving the 'zombie virus'.

 

the situation will be very disastrous

The New York Post cited a viral study that has yet to be confirmed. According to the viral study, 'the situation would be much more catastrophic in terms of plant, animal or human diseases due to the resurgence of ancient unknown viruses.'

 

effect of global warming

According to the preliminary report, “Global warming is irreversibly thawing vast areas of permafrost, the permanently frozen ground that covers one-quarter of the Northern Hemisphere. This has the destabilizing effect of 'leaving organic matter frozen for a million years. Possibly contains deadly germs.

 

'Part of this organic matter includes revived cellular microbes (prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes) as well as viruses that have been dormant since prehistoric times,' the researchers wrote. According to the New York Post, scientists have, perhaps strangely, resurrected some of these so-called 'zombie viruses' from the Siberian permafrost to investigate the awakened critters.

 

The oldest, Pandoravirus yedoma, was 48,500 years old. This is the record age for a frozen virus, where it can infect other creatures. This breaks the previous record of a 30,000-year-old virus identified in Siberia by the same scientists in 2013.

 

According to Science Alert, the new strain is one of 13 viruses described in the study. Each has its genome, while the Pandoravirus was discovered at the bottom of a lake in Yukechi Alas, Yakutia, Russia. While others have been discovered in everything from mammoth fur to the intestines of Siberian wolves.

 

Scientists found that all 'zombie viruses' have the potential to be infectious and therefore pose a 'health hazard' in researching live cultures. They believe that COVID-19-style pandemics will become more common in the future as thawing permafrost releases long-dormant viruses such as the microbial Captain America.

 

It is, therefore, valid to consider the risk of ancient viral particles remaining infectious and being re-circulated by the thawing of ancient permafrost layers.'

 

increase in the greenhouse effect

Unfortunately, this is a vicious cycle, as the organic matter released by melting ice decomposes into carbon dioxide and methane, increasing the greenhouse effect and accelerating melting.

 

need for more research

The newly thawed virus may only be the tip of the epidemiological iceberg, as more hibernating viruses are yet to be discovered, reports the New York Post. More research is needed to assess the level of infectivity of these unknown viruses when exposed to light, heat, oxygen, and other external environmental variables.

 

Also Read: Measles Virus: Measles spread its wings in India, with 12,773 cases found this year; WHO expressed concern

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