Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Scientists have found nearly 1,700 species of ancient viruses in ice cores from the Guliya Glacier on the Tibetan Plateau. About 75% of these viruses are previously unknown to science.
The ice cores were extracted from a glacier located nearly four miles above sea level. They contain viral DNA spanning nine distinct time periods over the past 41,000 years, providing a historical record of viral populations.
The study shows how these viruses adapted to significant climate changes. One viral community dates back approximately 11,500 years, during the transition from the Last Glacial Stage to the warmer Holocene epoch.
Researchers aim to understand the relationship between viruses and climate change. The findings may help predict how modern viruses could respond to ongoing environmental shifts.
About a quarter of the viruses resemble species found in other parts of the world, suggesting they may have been transported from regions like the Middle East or the Arctic.
The discovery offers new tools for studying Earth’s climate history and could enhance predictions about virus behavior in response to climate change, according to study co-author Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University.
While similar ancient viruses have been found in melting permafrost elsewhere, raising concerns about potential human infection, experts indicate that these viruses likely infected bacteria rather than animals or humans.