These 1,700 virus species old unknowns 40,000 years could provide valuable information to scientists.
Researchers in China have discovered ancient viruses, 40,000 years old, frozen in the ice of Himalayan glaciers, revealing clues about how viruses have adapted to climate change over millennia.
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A window into our viral past
A recent study published in the journal Nature Geoscience has highlighted the discovery of nearly 1,700 species of ancient viruses preserved in ice cores extracted from the Guliya Glacier on the Tibetan Plateau. These fragments of viral DNA, trapped in the ice for thousands of years, offer a unique perspective on how viruses have evolved in response to Earth’s climatic fluctuations.
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Climate cycles and their impact on viruses
The scientists analyzed viruses from nine different time horizons, spanning three cycles of cold-to-warm climate transitions over the past 41,000 years. This extended study shows how viruses have been able to adapt to major climate changes, an aspect that has been little explored until now.
Implications for Humanity and Science
Extracting and analyzing these viruses is not only crucial to understanding their evolution, but it also raises important questions about potential risks to human health. Jean-Michel Claverie, a professor at Aix-Marseille University, suggests that if amoebic viruses can survive so long in permafrost, it is plausible that viruses infecting animals or humans could remain infectious under similar conditions.
A race against time
Research into these ancient viruses is a race against time, as accelerated glacial melt due to global warming could release these pathogens into today’s environment. Researchers are racing to collect and analyze as much data as possible while these samples remain accessible.
The challenge of glacial materials
Working with glacial ice presents unique challenges, including the scarcity of materials needed for virus and microbe research. Researchers are often limited by the amount of ice available, making each ice core all the more valuable to science.
Towards a new understanding of climate-virus links
The discovery of these viral communities, some dating back 11,500 years, potentially sheds light on the links between viruses and climate change. This indicates that interactions between viruses and their environments are not static, but dynamically influenced by global climate conditions.
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Source : Nature
