Scientists Revive 'Zombie' Virus , Frozen in Permafrost for , Almost 50,000 Years.
French professor Jean-Michel Claverie discovered the 48,000-year-old frozen virus at several permafrost sites located in Siberia.
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Business Insider reports that his team found that the "zombie" virus could still infect single-celled amoebas.
Business Insider reports that his team found that the "zombie" virus could still infect single-celled amoebas.
The oldest strain that Claverie uncovered dates back 48,500 years and was found in a sample of soil from an underground lake.
The oldest strain that Claverie uncovered dates back 48,500 years and was found in a sample of soil from an underground lake.
The permafrost covers approximately 15% of the land in the Northern Hemisphere and remains frozen throughout the year.
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The youngest samples discovered originated some 27,000 years ago.
One of those relatively younger samples was found in the thawing carcass of a woolly mammoth.
According to the researchers who made the discovery, these types of long-frozen viruses should be considered a threat to public heath.
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You must remember our immune defense has been developed in close contact with microbiological surroundings, Birgitta Evengård, professor emerita at Umea University's Department of Clinical Microbiology in Sweden, via CNN.
If there is a virus hidden in the permafrost that we have not been in contact with for thousands of years, it might be that our immune defense is not sufficient, Birgitta Evengård, professor emerita at Umea University's Department of Clinical Microbiology in Sweden, via CNN.
Rising global temperatures have caused the permafrost to begin to rapidly thaw, threatening to release a host of ancient viruses and bacteria.
