Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences found about 1,000 bacterial species in snow and ice samples collected from Tibetan glaciers. In an article published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the group describes their concerns about the spread of disease as the glaciers melt.

have something to fear

According to scientists, ice sheets and glaciers cover about 10 percent of the Earth’s surface and also serve as the largest reservoir of fresh water. Under the influence of climate change, glaciers are melting, releasing everything that has been covered in ice for thousands of years. In a new study, researchers tested whether bacterial species found in snow and ice could enter other areas.

Snow and ice samples were collected from 21 glaciers in Tibet from 2010 to 2016. Them Found 968 unique bacterial species, 98 percent never seen before. Recently, another team of scientists discovered a group of viruses in 15,000-year-old ice, many of which had never been seen before.

As snow and ice melt, they can move into rivers and streams with water, spread further, multiply, and settle on animals and humans from them. Melting snow and ice in Tibet feed several rivers at once Leads to densely populated areas of China and India. Scientists are already starting to study the microbes that will soon be released from glaciers around the world to see if there is a threat.