‘Viruses of death’ have been hidden for 15 thousand years, will be freed by melting ice, can cause devastation, scientists warn!

There are many secrets buried beneath the earth. Sometimes old civilizations are revealed, and sometimes information about giant creatures is obtained from their fossils. But recently scientists discovered 28 such viruses, about which no one knows anything. It is possible that such viruses may be important for our environment or may even become the reason for the destruction of humans on earth. According to scientists, just as the ice is melting due to climate change, dangerous viruses hidden inside them thousands of years old may also come out. These can also prove dangerous for the world. The report related to this has been published in the journal Microbiome. For this, two ice samples from the Gulia ice cap of the Tibetan Plateau were analyzed.

Microbiologist Zi-Ping Zhong of Ohio State University, America, who led the study, said that these glaciers were formed gradually. In such a situation, along with dust and gases, many viruses also got frozen in that snow. A recent study revealed that dozens of prehistoric viruses have been found trapped inside the icy Tibetan glaciers. The scientists used metagenomics (a type of gene analysis) technique to keep their frozen samples sterile. This technology also helps researchers to understand what these viruses are actually made of?

In this study conducted in 2021, a total of 33 viruses were identified, out of which 28 were completely new types of viruses. Researchers said that melting ice would not only destroy ancient and stored microbes as well as viruses, but would also release them into the environment. Earth scientist Lonnie Thompson said that these viruses thrive in extreme environments, so we have very little information about them. They have been buried under ice for the last 15,000 years.

Since their nature cannot be predicted, the arrival of ancient viruses in our environment after the Covid pandemic can be worrying. Experts have already pointed out the danger of viruses emerging from melted glaciers. An article in BBC Future says, “Climate change is thawing permafrost soils that have been frozen for thousands of years, and as the soils thaw, they are releasing ancient viruses and bacteria that had gone dormant to come back to life. Have been.”

The researchers noted that the ice layers form on a timeline. During this, each layer traps different microbes, viruses and gases. Of course, scientists are very curious about these discoveries, but the fact that glaciers are melting rapidly due to global warming is also worrying, due to which these discoveries are being made. Melting ice releases huge reserves of hidden greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide, which increases global warming.

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