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A “zombie virus,” as it is being called, was revived by scientists after being trapped in the Arctic’s permafrost for 48,500 years. Scientists have warned that the virus, which has spent all these years frozen underground, could reawaken with the melting of permafrost due to climate change.
However, the internet has been baffled since the news surfaced, as many mistook the virus for one that could turn humans into zombies. Netizens had varied reactions to the news, with some even starting a meme fest surrounding the newly discovered virus.
One user expressed their exasperation as they wrote that scientists should know when to stop.
Temperatures in the Arctic are now noticeably warmer, which is already defrosting the region’s permafrost. The permafrost is a permanently iced-up layer below Earth’s surface.
Researchers are trying to assess how much risk the viruses and bacteria trapped inside this layer might pose for humans. In their assessment process, scientists are carefully reviving some of these organisms. The new “zombie virus” is among these.
Netizens are not ready to enter yet another lockdown as they hear about the "zombie virus"
As soon as the news of the “zombie virus” broke out, some people were confused as they could not figure out if it were a new virus that could cause the extinction of the human race. Many wondered why scientists were dealing with such viruses that could cause disastrous outcomes in the first place.
Some also said that they were already tired of having to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown that followed. So the emergence of another virus, carrying a possible threat to the existence of the human race, is too much to take in.
A few said that they were only starting to enjoy some relief from the clasp of COVID-19 and were not ready for another deadly virus to wreak havoc. Some jokingly said that the Zombie virus was not in their 2023 Bingo card.
Another group of people who thoroughly went through the news has tried to assure the confused bunch that the virus was only being called a “zombie” virus because it was revived after being frozen for so many years.
What scientists had to say about the "zombie virus"
In a study published in the journal called “Viruses” in February, the authors stated that they reasonably hoped that if an epidemic were to break out because of a revived prehistoric pathogenic bacterium, modern antibiotics that are within everyone’s reach could quickly control it.
They added that even though bacteria that carry antibiotic-resistance genes have surprisingly appeared to be prevalent in permafrost, an epidemic caused by this bacterium could still be contained.
However, the study warned that if the disease were to be caused in humans, plants, and animals by the revival of an unknown ancient virus, the situation would be much more catastrophic as no specific vaccine or treatment would be immediately available.
Anthrax outbreaks in reindeer have already been linked to the cause of the thawing of Siberia’s permafrost. Hot summers in Siberia have especially caused ancient anthrax spores from animal burial grounds to resurface.
In the latest study, Jean-Michel Claverie, a French researcher, and his team reported that they had managed to revive and isolate several prehistoric viruses from the permafrost. It also included a giant virus strain called Pithovirus found in a 27,000-year-old simple of permafrost that also contained a lot of mammoth wool.
Most of the virus isolates belonged to the Pandoraviridae family, which was built with double-stranded DNA viruses. These viruses can infect very small and simple unicellular organisms called amoebae.
The authors stated in this recent study:
“This study confirms the capacity of large DNA viruses infecting Acanthamoeba to remain infectious after more than 48,500 years spent in deep permafrost.”
To ensure safety, Jean-Michel and his team have been focusing on reviving ancient viruses that target these unicellular organisms rather than humans or animals. Another group of scientists in Russia is currently hunting for paleoviruses directly from the remains of wooly rhinoceros, mammoths, or prehistoric horses, preserved in permafrost.
Jean-Michel and his team wrote:
“Without the need to embark on such a risky project, we believe our results with Acanthamoeba-infecting viruses can be extrapolated to many other DNA viruses capable of infecting humans or animals.”
The researchers warned that the yet-unknown viruses would likely be released as the permafrost melts. They said that once exposed to outdoor conditions such as oxygen, heat, and UV light, it was impossible to estimate how long these viruses could remain infectious and how likely they would be to run into and infect a suitable host in the interim.
They added that the risk was bound to escalate in the context of global warming, due to which permafrost melting will only keep accelerating. In the wake of industrial ventures, more people will populate the Arctic, thus increasing the risk of acting as a host to be infected even more.
