A 50,000-year-old zombie virus that had been dormant in Siberian permafrost has been brought back to life by researchers. Over a dozen archaic viruses were discovered by scientists from the French National Centre for Scientific Research. According to Mirror, the depressing discovery was made among ice cores deep in Siberia.
The preprint investigation discovered 13 previously unknown viruses that had been dormant in ice for thousands of years and are now being resurrected. Researchers resurrected Pandoravirus yedoma, a 48,500-year-old virus. However, scientists have discovered ancient viruses hidden beneath the ice before.
This zombie virus , however, poses a very serious and concerning potential threat to the planet. When the ice melts and thaws, the chemicals and bacteria trapped in permafrost, or permanently frozen earth, are released. As a result of climate change, this is becoming more common, and it may result in the release of more ancient viruses that we are unaware of.
Experts warned that these ‘zombie viruses’ could be dangerous to humans and that some had already claimed lives. In the aftermath of an anthrax outbreak in Siberia in 2016, one child died and scores more were hospitalized.
