Scientists revive nearly 50,000-yr-old zombie virus hidden under frozen lakes in Russia

In the latest scientific development, scientists have revived a 48,500-year-old zombie virus that had been hidden beneath a frozen lake in Russia until now. According to a report from Fox News, international experts have issued a warning that a new public health concern might rise from the permafrost's irreversible thawing brought on by climate change.  

The French, Russian, and German researchers claimed they had discovered and resurrected 13 new "zombie viruses" in a report that was released to the preprint repository bioRxiv but has not yet been peer-reviewed. These viruses were identified from seven various ancient Siberian permafrost samples. Fox News further reported that one virus had been underwater frozen and dormant for about 50,000 years. The researchers discovered that even after tens of thousands of years, the diseases are still contagious. 

In the meantime, French scientists have raised concerns about the possibility of yet another pandemic after reviving the virus, New York Post reported.  

Scientists talks about reviving of zombie virus

The research said that it is acceptable to consider the possibility of historical viral particles remaining infectious and returning to the population due to the melting of ancient permafrost layers since every virus necessitates the creation of a distinct vaccination, antiviral, or medicinal treatment. The research further added, “The situation would be much more disastrous in the case of plant, animal, or human diseases caused by the revival of an ancient unknown virus”.  

The permafrost, which makes up one-fourth of the Northern Hemisphere's permanently frozen ground, is irreparably melting, according to preliminary research. The troubling result of this has been the release of biological components that have been frozen for up to a million years, including potentially dangerous pathogens. 

According to the researchers, “Part of this organic matter also consists of revived cellular microbes (prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes) as well as viruses that remained dormant since prehistorical times”.  

The New York Post also reported that scientists are investigating the reawakening of critters by reviving some of these supposedly "zombie viruses" from the Siberian permafrost. 

The oldest, Pandoravirus yedoma, was 48,500 years old—a record age for a frozen virus resuming its infectious state. This surpasses the previous record set by the same researchers in 2013, who discovered a 30,000-year-old virus in Siberia.  

As per Science Alert, the new strain is one of 13 viruses that were described in the study and each has its distinct genome. After studying the live cultures, researchers found that all "zombie viruses" had the potential to be contagious and hence represent a "health danger." According to the New York Post, scientists predict that COVID-19-type pandemics may occur more frequently in the future as thawing permafrost awakens latent viruses like a microbial Captain America. 

Notably, to determine how contagious these unidentified viruses are when exposed to light, heat, oxygen, and other environmental factors, more study is required. 

(Image: ANI/ Representative)