30,000-Year-Old Virus Found In Siberia
- 9 years ago
A recent study describes the discovery of a 30,000-year old virus found in frozen Siberia, the 4th prehistoric one known to have surfaced since 2003.
Ice melt from rising global temperatures isn’t just revealing long-frozen artifacts; it’s also exposing ancient viruses.
A recent study describes the discovery of a 30,000-year old virus found in frozen Siberia, the 4th prehistoric one known to have surfaced since 2003.
This bug is much bigger and more complex than the ones of today.
It’s classified as a giant because, at 0.6 microns long, it exceeds the half micron minimum standard; it is also composed of more than 500 genes compared to influenza A which has 8.
The virus is still dormant, but there are plans to
Ice melt from rising global temperatures isn’t just revealing long-frozen artifacts; it’s also exposing ancient viruses.
A recent study describes the discovery of a 30,000-year old virus found in frozen Siberia, the 4th prehistoric one known to have surfaced since 2003.
This bug is much bigger and more complex than the ones of today.
It’s classified as a giant because, at 0.6 microns long, it exceeds the half micron minimum standard; it is also composed of more than 500 genes compared to influenza A which has 8.
The virus is still dormant, but there are plans to