Zombie viruses revived via thawing ancient permafrost demonstrates ‘public health risk’

Zombie viruses revived via thawing ancient permafrost demonstrates ‘public health risk’
While none of the 13 new viruses recovered from frozen soils in Russia are capable of infecting humans, climate change could release pathogens that are, experts warned.

Researchers have shown that it is possible to revive “zombie viruses” that have been frozen in the ground in Russia for up to a whopping 48,500 years. In their study, environmental virologist Professor Jean-Michel Claverie of the Aix-Marseille University and his colleagues identified more than a dozen new microbes, although they were careful to only revive ones incapable of infecting humans. However, they cautioned, the findings highlight a potential health risk from climate change — that the thawing of once-frozen ground across parts of the Northern Hemisphere could unleash deadly new viruses that might even trigger a pandemic.



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