Scientists have uncovered 1700 ancient virus species frozen in the Guliya Glacier in the Himalayas. About three-quarters of these viruses were previously unknown, and the melting of glaciers due to climate change could lead to the spread of these viruses around the world. But could it lead to a new pandemic?
While the world was discussing the concern that the monkeypox virus (Moneypox) could lead to a new epidemic after Covid-19, scientists have now made a striking discovery. Exactly 1700 types of old viruses hidden in the glaciers in the Himalayas were uncovered. Now the possibility of these viruses spreading to the world is being investigated.
OLD VIRUS SPECIES DISCOVERED WITH FROZEN DNA FRAGMENTS
According to a new paper published in Nature Geoscience, these viruses, about three-quarters of which were previously unknown to science, were identified thanks to DNA fragments frozen in ice cores taken from the Guliya Glacier on the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayan Mountains.
By analysing the DNA of ancient viruses, researchers are trying to better understand how they adapt to changing climates.
‘Ice in glaciers is very valuable and we don’t usually have the large amounts of material needed for virus and microbe research,’ said study co-author ZhiPing Zhong, a research fellow at Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Centre.
VIRUSES HAVE BEEN STORED IN PERMAFROST FOR 41 THOUSAND YEARS
The paper said the viruses arrived in nine time periods covering three cold-warm cycles over the past 41 thousand years. Guliya Glacier, where the ice cores were sampled, is located in the Himalayas northwest of Tibet, about 6.5 above sea level.
Ancient viruses found in permafrost have been unearthed in other parts of the world, including Siberia. This has led to fears that these viruses could be transmitted to humans as permafrost and glaciers around the world melt due to climate change.
Jean-Michel Claverie, a professor at the University of Aix-Marseille in France, who conducted the research, previously told Newsweek, ‘If amoeba viruses can survive in permafrost for so long, this raises the possibility that viruses transmitted from animals/humans could remain infectious in the same conditions.’
However, it is thought that these ancient viruses probably infected bacteria rather than animals or humans.
The researchers also found that about a quarter of the viruses in the ice core overlapped with species found elsewhere. ‘This means that some of them were potentially transported from regions such as the Middle East or even the Arctic,’ Zhong said.
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: IS A ‘NEW PANDEMIC’ AT THE DOOR?
By understanding how ancient viruses evolved in response to changing climates, researchers hope to better predict how today’s viruses will respond to the impending effects of climate change in the coming decades.
The team conducting the study finds it unlikely that these viruses will cause a new pandemic. ‘Glaciers are one of the cleanest environments on Earth. They contain extremely low biomass.’
