Scientists at the Medical School of the University of Aix-Marseille, led by Jean-Michel Claverieresurrected virus which has been dormant for nearly 50,000 years, the oldest ever revived by them. The findings come from Siberia and raise concerns about possible health problems caused by the climate crisis.

The group has been exploring deep deposits for a long time. permafrost (underground layer of permafrost earth’s crust) in search of surviving infectious agents and also managed to accomplish the feat in 2014 and 2015. However, none of those found at that time was not so “ancient” and did not arise as a result of the melting of these ice strips.

The viruses resurrected by Clavery’s team belong to genera such as Pandoravirus, Megavirus and Pacmanvirus and are very large by body standards – some are up to two micrometers long – the same size as an E. coli bacterial cell. Viruses infect amoeba cells, but Clavery warned that there are certainly viruses in the permafrost that would like to take up residence in the cells of animals—perhaps even humans.

Samples taken from Siberian ice cores

The Claverie samples are taken from Siberian ice cores, many of which were collected at depths of more than 16 meters. However, permafrost is becoming “less permanent” in the face of climate change as the Earth warms and thins at higher latitudes. It is possible that the viruses preserved in it can become active again without the help of scientists – the so-called “overflow infection”.

The team’s research highlights the importance of understanding what’s hidden in permafrost, and this research is not only interesting, it has important implications. The “awakening” of ancient agents could lead to unknown consequences for an ecosystem that has not seen or contacted them for thousands of years.

Claverie warned in an interview CNNthat people should take this warning seriously, as it is important to understand what might be hidden in the ice strip. According to him, the current study is focused on viruses that infect only amoebas, but it is possible that there are others that can infect plants or animals, including humans.

As you know, and even more so after COVID-19, Prevention is better than cure. Thus, Claverie’s research shows that there is a need to continue monitoring permafrost and work on climate change mitigation before it gives humanity another headache.

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Source: ExtremeTech

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