A microbiologist from the University of Colorado has been revived by microorganisms, which have been preserved in the permanently frozen soil in Alaska for about 40,000 years. According to them, these microbes may pose a risk because They could become dangerous pathogens and potentially induce a new pandemic.
“These samples are definitely not dead,” said the author of the study by Dr. Tristan Caro of the University of Colorado. Permafrost is a permanently frozen soil that stores organic material for thousands of years. Scientists took samples in Permafrost Research Tunnel near Fairbanks in Alaska – in an underground tunnel built in the 1960s for climate research.
The samples were incubated at temperatures of 3 ° C and 12 ° C, which simulates the conditions of the Alaskan summer. Microbes did not initially occur in any way, but after a few months they began to create prosperous colonies. “We wanted to simulate what was happening during the Alaskan summer under the next climatic conditions when these temperatures hit the deeper layers of Permafrost,” Dr. Caro explained.
According to scientists, this was a slow awakening. The colonies grew very slowly, but within six months the microbial communities changed significantly and created durable biofilms. The awakening microbes began to release carbon dioxide.
According to Car’s words, it is dangerous that it is not only a hot summer day, but especially the extension of the summer season, when higher temperatures also interfere with spring and autumn. The melting of permafrost can lead to massive CO₂ and methane release, which would have a significant impact on the climate.
At the same time, experts are concerned that, along with bacteria, dangerous viruses can be released. In 2022, for example, a revived pandoravirus from Siberian Permafrost was 48,500 years old. Although this virus did not pose a risk to humans, scientists warned that others could be fatally dangerous.
