New Delhi: Amid the rise in new infections around the world such as Mpox, fresh variants of COVID-19 and more, scientists have discovered 1,700 new species of viruses that are melting permafrost from the Himalayas. As per reports, in 2015, a team of scientists moved to the Guliya Glacier situated on the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayas to gather hundreds of meter-long ice cores. During the investigation, the researchers found over 1,700 new species of virus trapped inside the ice, which was something very new to the science.
According to the research reported in Nature Geosciences provided scientists a snapshot of how viruses have adapted to changes in the climate over millenniums. But more importantly, it is an attempt to protect the information stored within the permafrost that is no longer lasting. Moreover, the ground that has remained frozen for thousands of years is defrosting due to changes in the climate.
The team of researchers dug into the nature of the species across nine ancient periods and found genetic information from about 1,705 viral species. As per the researchers, the viruses that the team were looking at were bacteriophages which is a kind of viruses that infect only bacterial species.
79 per cent of viruses in the ice
The investigation further increased by a factor of 50 the amount of viral information from permafrost that scientists have gathered. The team further examined how these bacteria-infecting viruses changed over time and with changes in the temperature over 41,000 years.
According to the first author involved in the new study and paleoclimatologist at Ohio State University, ZhiPing Zhong, these time horizons period of three major cold-to-warm cycles offer a unique opportunity to see how viral communities have altered in response to different climatic situations.
Are these viruses dangerous?
The ancient viruses blocked in the permafrost for ten thousand years can infect humans and spread across the world, the research noted. The international team of researchers seem not to look tense about the virus in terms of causing the next pandemic. According to scientists, a specific aggressive unearthed ancient virus or bacteria could be a threat if it infects humans or animals.
As per reports, in 2015, a team of scientists moved to the Guliya Glacier situated on the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayas to gather hundreds of meter-long ice cores. During the investigation, the researchers found over 1,700 new species of virus trapped inside the ice, which was something very new to the science. Health Conditions Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
