Chinese, U.S. Scientists Unearth Ancient Frozen Mystery Viruses
Mario Tama/Getty Images
22 Jul 2021
Scientists found more than 30 viruses, many never seen before, frozen in glaciers near the Tibetan Plateau in China.
Lead author and researcher at the Ohio State University Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Zhi-Ping Zhong released a statement that explained the “glaciers were formed gradually, and along with dust and gases, many, many viruses were also deposited in that ice.”
“The glaciers in western China are not well-studied, and our goal is to use this information to reflect past environments. And viruses are a part of those environments,” Zhong wrote.
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In news that would be far less terrifying if we weren’t living through a pandemic, scientists have discovered 15,000 year old viruses in some Tibetan glaciers. I simply cannot stress this enough: put them back.
The findings from the study – completed by scientists at Ohio State University – were published in the journal Microbiome on Tuesday in an attempt to help scientists better understand how viruses evolve over time. You know, because we’re battling a pretty gnarly one right now.
According to the study, the viruses managed to survive for 15,000 years because the remained frozen and locked away within the Tibetan Plateau in China.