Dozens of ancient viruses stored in ice have now been discovered

Reading time: 2 min – Found The future, CTVNews

During a research expedition that looks like the first act of a horror movie, a team of scientists discovered dozens of ancient viruses in an ice sample in Tibet. Of the 33 viruses found in two glaciers in the Himalayas at 6,700 meters above sea level, 28 viruses are completely new to science. According to a study published in the journal Microbiome on Tuesday, July 20th. This is the third time that unknown viruses have been detected in ice. Mark CTVNews.

Based on a press release from Ohio State University, The research team behind this work is interested in learning how viruses evolved in response to climate change. By studying their genetic codes, one can explain the mysterious way in which extreme conditions can be maintained even on Earth and in places like Mars. We hope that none of them affect us.

Plants and viruses that like cooling

Fortunately, these new viruses seem to have inhabited the ancient flora and fauna that inhabited the earth, not just humans or animals, until they froze about 15,000 years ago. Precise future. In addition, if the remaining viruses appear to be dormant at this time, it is because they thrive in severe cold and have no desire to infect our warm bodies.

“We know very little about the viruses and microbes that live in these extreme environments, what really exists., Loni Thompson, lead author of the study and Earth scientist at Ohio University, said in the report. It is important to document and understand this: How do bacteria and viruses respond to climate change? What happens when we move from an ice age to a warmer time like the one we are experiencing now? ”

So the researchers hope that these ancient viruses will help to create an archive of fossil viruses in this region. They believe that by observing creatures that lived long ago, they will be able to paint a better picture of what the environment will be like compared to anything that has been done before. The discovery helped develop a new method for analyzing microorganisms in ice without the risk of contamination, the scientists added.