Science & Technology

'Frankenvirus' found in Siberian permafrost

By T.K. Randall
September 9, 2015

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) While the long-dormant virus, Mollivirus sibericum, is not thought to be harmful to humans, the fact that it had survived for such a long time in the permafrost suggests that there could be many more long-forgotten viruses lying in wait beneath the frozen tundra that we still don't know about.

"Our finding suggests that prehistory 'live' viruses are not a rare occurrence," the researchers wrote.

"We cannot rule out that distant viruses of ancient Siberian human populations could re-emerge as Arctic permafrost layers melt and/or are disrupted by industrial activities."While not an immediate concern, the possibility of a prehistoric virus reawakening and infecting the modern population is something that may soon need to be taken a lot more seriously.

"Some viral particles which are still infectious can, in the presence of a receptive host, [lead to] the resurgence of potentially pathogenic viruses in Arctic regions," said Professor Jean-Michel Claverie.

"If we are not careful, and we industrialise these areas without putting safeguards in place, we run the risk of one day waking up viruses such as smallpox that we thought were eradicated."

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Tags: Virus, Siberia