Scientists Found 48,500 Years-Old Zombie Virus Buried in Ice
- nypost.com
The new strain is one of 13 viruses described in the study, each of which has its genome, Science Alert reports. While Pandora Virus was found under the bottom of a lake in Yukechi Alas in Yakutia, Russia, others are found everywhere from mammoth fur to the intestines of Siberian wolves.
After studying the living cultures, the scientists found that all "zombie viruses" are potentially contagious, and therefore a "health threat". They postulate that we could see more COVID-19-style pandemics in the future as thawing permafrost continues to release long-dormant viruses like Captain America's microbes.
Ilustrasi: perilaku zombie pada penderita Sindrom Cotard
- U-Report
"It is therefore legitimate to contemplate the risk of ancient virus particles remaining infectious and returning to circulation with the thawing of ancient permafrost layers," they write.
Unfortunately, this is a vicious cycle as the organic matter released by melting ice breaks down into carbon dioxide and methane, further increasing the greenhouse effect and accelerating thaw.
The newly unfreeze virus may only be the tip of the epidemiological iceberg as there are likely more hibernating viruses yet to be discovered. More research is needed to determine the transmission rates of these unknown viruses when exposed to light, heat, oxygen, and other outdoor environmental factors.
This is not the first long-dormant organism to be "awakened from its slumber" greeting tens to millions of years in ice. In June 2021, Russian scientists revived a "zombie" worm that had been frozen for 24,000 years in the Arctic.
Update Minecraft Bedrock, Hadirkan Fitur Gua Es dan Zombie Baru
Minecraft Bedrock 26.60 menghadirkan gua es, Frostbite, stalaktit berbahaya, dan efek pembekuan. Simak fitur eksperimental baru serta ratusan perbaikan bug yang menarik.
