The epidemic is not over yet, why do scientists want to "make trouble" by reviving ancient viruses?

Audit expert: Gu Haitong

Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University

Deputy Chief Physician of Respiratory Medicine

A few days ago, I opened TikTok as usual, ready to check out some interesting things on the Internet recently. However, the first video pushed was shocking - "Scientists revived a 48,500-year-old virus" , which shocked me and I didn't understand the significance of this operation. Netizens also had great doubts about this, and voices of doubt such as "What are you doing after eating?" and "Isn't it chaotic enough?" were heard everywhere.

With the same doubts as netizens, the editor went online to check the relevant information and learned the specific content, purpose and significance of this experiment. Next, let's take a look at the significance of such research.

Related news report source | Screenshot of a short video website

Dangerous research results

According to a report by the British science magazine New Scientist on November 23, the experiment was completed by a scientific research team composed of scientists from Russia, Germany and France. They successfully "revived" seven viruses found in the Siberian permafrost that had been frozen for tens of thousands of years in the laboratory. Among these "seven brothers", the "youngest" virus was frozen for 27,000 years, while the "oldest" virus was frozen for 48,500 years.

Previously, the team had revived two other viruses that had been frozen for 30,000 years. "48,500 years is a world record," the head of the research team told New Scientist magazine, adding that this is the longest-lived virus revived in the world so far.

Origin of giant viruses of the genus Pandoravirus | Wikipedia

How did these viruses come back to life? During the research, scientists first cultured amoebas based on the observation that these viruses can infect amoebas, then added the frozen soil samples to the culture, and then observed them under a microscope for a period of time. They found that the amoebas were infected, and also observed that these viruses were reproducing by self-replication. After that, they concluded that the viruses in these frozen soil samples had been revived.

The team leader said that these revived viruses belong to the Pandoravirus, a very large virus with a genome much larger than most other known viruses. These viruses infect one of the most primitive organisms, the amoeba, which is a very simple organism with a body consisting of only one cell.

Amoeba source: Internet

At the same time, a history of 48,500 years does not mean that it is the oldest virus. You should know that the history of the deepest permafrost on Earth is as long as 1 million years. There may be a wide variety of older viruses "sleeping" in these permafrosts. Therefore, in future research, scientists still have a great possibility of reviving even older viruses.

What exactly is the “Resurrection Virus”?

From the above research, we can understand that in this experiment, the viruses that were successfully "resurrected" can only infect single-cell organisms such as amoeba, so it is almost impossible to spread between people. At the same time, Chinese virologist Lan Ke also said that the possibility of resurrected ancient giant viruses spreading between people is very small, almost non-existent. Therefore, you don't have to worry about the concerns and worries caused by the "seven brothers of ancient viruses" this time.

Permafrost source: Internet

However, we can imagine that since these viruses that have been frozen for tens of thousands of years can still infect amoeba, then other viruses sealed under the permafrost may also infect different types of animals, plants and humans, thereby causing certain impacts on human health and social security.

Nowadays, a series of problems such as carbon emissions brought about by industrialization have led to a continuous rise in global temperatures. The permafrost is therefore at risk of melting, and bacteria and viruses sealed under the permafrost will continue to emerge, posing a hidden danger to human safety.

The global temperature change chart shown on the official website of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Source: Red Star News

Russia's Pravda once exclusively disclosed a shocking piece of news: In 1999, a scientific expedition team discovered a previously unknown "mysterious virus" under the permafrost of the Antarctic continent, to which neither humans nor animals have sufficient immunity. Since the virus is "dormant" at the bottom of the Antarctic permafrost, it will not pose a threat to humans on Earth for the time being.

At present, most people in the world are unaware of its potential harmfulness. However, many scientists warn that if global warming reaches a certain level, this unknown virus may revive and spread everywhere, and thousands of species on the earth will face a catastrophe.

As early as 2021, Russia stated at the Arctic Council that many permafrost sites in Russia are facing thawing, and with it will be living spores of bacteria and viruses, and issued a warning about the melting of permafrost caused by global warming.

Source of melting glaciers丨Screenshot of news reports

Understanding and recognizing the possible risks and threats we face is of great significance to human health and safety. It can help us plan relevant response methods and measures in advance. Instead of waiting for death, it is better to take the initiative and strike first. When the danger really comes, we can effectively resist and protect ourselves, playing the role of preparing for a rainy day.

However, there are also doubts about this view. A professor at the University of California believes that the risk of these permafrost viruses causing an epidemic is very, very low, even lower than the risk of transmission from domestic animals and wild animals. In addition, most of the genetic material of these ancient viruses is DNA, while most of the viruses that cause sudden epidemics now are RNA viruses, so there is still a certain difference between the two.

From another perspective, these viruses sleeping under the frozen soil show us the magic, diversity and grandeur of nature. Human history seems so short in the face of the billions of years of development of the earth. Just like these viruses, the tens of thousands of years of human development history is ultimately just a tiny passer-by in the long river of time. When dealing with nature, we should always maintain a reverent heart.