Ancient Zombie Viruses Trapped In Arctic Ice Can Unleash Deadly New Pandemic

Scientists raise concern that the thawing Arctic permafrost may release ancient viruses, potentially leading to a global health crisis akin to a "zombie virus" scenario. “We now face a tangible threat and we need to be prepared to deal with it. It is as simple as that,” said geneticist Jean-Michel Claverie, professor emeritus of medicine and genomics at Aix-Marseille University in a statement to The Guardian. 

Professionals are collaborating with the University of the Arctic, an international educational and research cooperative, to develop a monitoring network. This network aims to detect instances of diseases caused by ancient microorganisms at an early stage, preventing their uncontrolled spread. The network is designed to offer quarantine facilities and medical services for those infected with the goal of minimising the risk of a potential outbreak. This includes measures to prevent contagious individuals from leaving the region. 

What are Methuselah microbes?

Microbes referred to as Methuselah or zombie viruses have the remarkable ability to remain viable for tens of thousands of years when encased in frozen soil. This frozen soil, known as permafrost, covers almost 20% of the Earth's northern hemisphere.

“The crucial part about permafrost is that it is cold, dark and lacks oxygen, which is perfect for preserving biological material,” said Claverie.

“You could put a yogurt in permafrost and it might still be edible 50,000 years later,” he added.

Scientists theorise that the deepest layers of permafrost may be safeguarding viruses that existed on Earth up to a million years ago, predating the appearance of humans' most ancient ancestors by around 300,000 years. Consequently, modern humans would lack natural immunity against these ancient viral entities.

“Our immune systems may have never been in contact with some of those microbes, and that is another worry,” Claverie told a local news outlet. 

“The scenario of an unknown virus once infecting a Neanderthal coming back at us, although unlikely, has become a real possibility,” he added.

While the idea of ancient viruses escaping their frozen confines in the Earth's remotest regions and initiating a new global pandemic may seem improbable, virologists express that there is at least some reason for concern.

“We don’t know what viruses are lying out there in the permafrost but I think there is a real risk that there might be one capable of triggering a disease outbreak – say of an ancient form of polio,” virologist Marion Koopmans of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam told the outlet.

“We have to assume that something like this could happen,” they added.