Researchers have discovered viruses they have never seen before in glacier ice in China. They were apparently hidden for more than 15,000 years.

Biologists from Ohio State University analyzed two drill cores. they were removed from glacial ice Des Gulia in western China. The ice is estimated to be 15,000 years old. them 33. found the genetic code of virus, of which four were already known and 28 were completely new.

Viruses in glacier ice raise questions

“Melting will not only damage these ancient, stored microbes and viruses, but will also release them into the environment in the future,” the researchers write as part of their study. Study. The paper was published in the journal Microbiome under the direction of microbiologist Zi-Ping Zhong.

Little is known about the viruses and microbes in these extreme environments and what exactly couple Geologist Lonnie Thompson. As such, many important questions still remain unanswered.

“How do bacteria and viruses react to climate change? What happens if we move from an ice age to a warmer period like the one we have now?”

“True genetic signature” discovered

“These glaciers formed slowly, and along with the dust and gases, many, many viruses had accumulated in this ice,” says Zhong. The discovered microbes would probably represent those present in the environment at the time of their deposition.

“These are viruses that thrive in extreme environments,” says microbiologist Matthew Sullivan. They would have a “true genetic signature” to survive in extreme conditions. Meanwhile, there appears to be a high risk Dangerous virus from the animal kingdom to go out.

Quayle: Microbiome, Ohio State University

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