It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it really happens. There is a region in Siberia called permafrost: a 1.5km space of frozen ground just below the surface. There are thousands of viruses and microorganisms frozen in the rocks. The danger is that, due to the very low temperatures, they don’t die; they are just “asleep”. From time to time, scientists find some viruses in the permafrost. Recently, researchers came across one that dates back 48,500 years. A record so far. Check out the article and learn more about the frozen virus for such a long time.
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What is the frozen virus that was found in Siberia like?
According to researcher Jean-Michel Claverie, of the University of Aix-Marseille, France, the virus found is gigantic. It was found on frozen ground just below a lake in the Yakutia region of Russia. There were six other boys with him. The oldest was frozen 27 thousand years ago. A young man, right?
According to the scientist, there is no reason to panic, as the virus only infects amoebas. Ufa!
Why are these microorganisms coming back to life?
As we said above, it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it really happens. Viruses and other microorganisms are frozen at such a low temperature that they are prevented from decomposing.
So, I’m like Sleeping Beautywaiting for Prince Charming’s kiss. In this case, the prince is the global warming.
Due to the increase in the Earth’s temperature, the ice in regions such as the permafrost has begun to melt. This causes these living beings to awaken from sleep, which is supposed to be eternal.
At this point, as Jean-Michel Claverie explains, we will have to pay more attention and perhaps worry a little. It turns out that if the melting of these glaciers managed to bring these giant viruses back to life, other smaller types manage to come back to life as well.
These would be able to infect plants and animals. And, these living beings, perhaps, infect us too.
