Zombie Pathogens: “The risk is no longer simply a fantasy,” it can happen in real life, as revealed by a new study.

A New Study Warns Global Warming Reviving Ancient, Deadly Viruses

The escalating effects of global warming are thawing permafrost in Arctic regions, thereby resurrecting ancient viruses, which have been trapped in ice for thousands of years. These viruses pose a potentially deadly risk, and scientists urge us to prepare for this looming threat.

Not a typical zombie apocalypse involving hordes of brain-eating undead, this threat instead involves “zombie” viruses and bacteria that have been frozen in time for millennia, now being released as the Arctic permafrost melts in Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia.

“The risk,” warns Corey Bradshaw, professor of global ecology at Flinders University, Australia, “is no longer simply a fantasy that we shouldn’t be prepared to defend against.”

Bradshaw has released a startling study, highlighting the potential of these ancient pathogens to cause significant damage to our ecosystem.

Bradshaw elaborates, new findings “are worrisome, because they point to an actual risk deriving from the rare events where pathogens currently trapped in the melting permafrost and ice produce severe ecological impacts.”

Why are scientists worried about melting permafrost?

Bradshaw’s study, using computer modeling, predicted that one in 100 pathogens released from the ice could become deadly, killing up to 30 per cent of their host community. In the event of a revived virus infecting humans, the death toll could be as high as 2.36 billion, dwarfing the devastation caused by the coronavirus.

Despite medical advancements, today’s population may lack natural defenses against these unknown pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that have been encased in the frozen soil for millennia.

“As a society,” Bradshaw emphasizes, “we need to understand the potential risk posed by these ancient microbes so we can prepare for any unintended consequences of their release into the modern world.”

Though this scenario may seem more suited to a Hollywood disaster movie, the revival of ancient pathogens is already happening.

The Ice’s Deadly Secret: Zombie Viruses Lurking in the Permafrost

In 2014, a 30,000-year-old giant virus, known as Pithovirus sibericum, was awakened from Siberian permafrost. Similarly, bacteria frozen for over 750,000 years in the Himalayan ice caps were resurrected in 2003.

An anthrax outbreak in Western Siberia in 2016, which resulted in the death of thousands of reindeer and infected several humans, was traced back to ancient bacteria in thawing permafrost.

Furthermore, a recent study of viruses preserved in Arctic lake sediment revealed alarming genetic compatibility with potential living hosts. However, microscopic organisms are not the only life forms resurfacing from the melting ice.

Just last week, scientists announced the revival of a roundworm that had been frozen for 46,000 years and subsequently birthed offspring.

While some scientists are fascinated by the study of cellular life’s resilience after millennia-long dormancy, others are deeply concerned about the implications for humanity’s future.

Dr. Giovanni Strona of the European Commission Joint Research Centre, a co-author of the recent study, points out, “The age over which it survived is… shocking.

“Our findings suggest that threats so far confined to science fiction could, in reality, pose serious risk as powerful drivers of ecological damage.”

Permafrost, the permanently frozen ground covering a significant portion of the Northern Hemisphere, is rapidly thawing due to advancing global warming, creating additional ecological problems. Scientists estimate that permafrost holds twice the amount of carbon dioxide currently in our atmosphere, which if released, could dangerously accelerate climate change.

Moreover, smallpox – eradicated except for samples preserved in secure labs – could resurface from ancient victims buried in permafrost due to global warming, potentially initiating new deadly epidemics.

The rapidly thawing permafrost is also resulting in ground subsidence, jeopardizing Arctic communities by causing buildings, roads, and crucial pipelines to collapse. With a warming rate up to four times the global average, Siberia is particularly at risk.

Professor Anna Liljedahl of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, states, “The permafrost is thawing so fast, we scientists can’t keep up any more.”

The melting ice is exposing long-buried animals, potentially riddled with pathogens. This, along with the hunt for frozen woolly mammoths prized for their ivory, contributes to the emergence of viruses and bacteria.

A ten-year study by a team from France, Germany, and Russia has revealed that these once-frozen microorganisms are more prevalent than previously thought.

“Every time we look for infectious viruses in the permafrost, we find some,” warns virologist Professor Jean-Michel Claverie, who has found at least five new virus families in thawing tundra. “We see the traces of many, many other viruses.”

Most of the viruses emerging from the permafrost do not pose a threat to humans, primarily infecting amoebae. However, it would take just one to cause a potential disaster.

Some scientists are more concerned with contemporary viruses like Ebola, Dengue fever, Cholera, and even Influenza that directly affect humans.

Leading virologist Dr. Anthony Fauci, who helmed America’s response to Covid-19, has noted that for ancient pathogens to target humans, several factors need to align, an occurrence “can happen, but it is very unlikely.”

However, the recent study serves as an urgent reminder of the potentially catastrophic consequences. Zoonotic viruses – those that can transmit from animals to humans – are increasingly concerning as shrinking wildlife habitats bring humans and animals into closer contact.

The appearance of an ancient pathogen capable of triggering a pandemic could be imminent.

“If there is a virus hidden in the permafrost that we have not been in contact with for thousands of years,” warns Professor Birgitta Evengard from Sweden’s Umea University, “it might be that our immune defence is not sufficient.”

Over 3.6 million people reside in the Arctic region, and according to Professor Claverie, “The risk is bound to increase in the context of global warming, in which permafrost thawing will keep accelerating, and more people will populate the Arctic in the wake of industrial ventures.”

A 2020 study by the University of Hamburg, Germany, forecasts a 3.8-degree Celsius rise in permafrost temperatures, leading to the thawing of half the world’s permafrost.

The consensus among scientists to prevent a zombie virus outbreak is to halt or even reverse global warming.

Climate scientist Kimberly Miner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California emphasizes, “There’s a lot going on with the permafrost that is of concern. And it really shows why it’s super important we keep as much of the permafrost frozen as possible.”

Source: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011268

Image Credit: Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images