Scientists discover 15,000-year-old viruses in Tibetan glaciers

The regions of the globe that contain permafrost, a kind of frozen ground, are real theme parks for scientists. With the glaciers melting, scientists have already been able to identify them animal bodies From the past practically intact even microscopic microorganisms Which came back to life after years of freezing. Now, researchers at Ohio State University in the US have identified dozens of viruses in two ice samples taken from the Tibetan Plateau in China.

The analyzed ice belongs to the Julia Ice Sheet, located at an altitude of 6.7 kilometers above sea level. Ice sheets accumulate annually. When they form, they trap everything in the atmosphere, be it gases, dust, or microorganisms. In this case, the researchers found 33 viruses that were trapped by ice 15,000 years ago. Of these, 28 are new to science. The full study was published in the scientific journal microbiome.

Through genetic analysis of viruses, scientists discovered that some microorganisms were phages, that is, they infect bacteria. Moreover, their genetic signatures indicate the ability to infect cells in cold environments, helping them thrive in harsh environments such as the ones in which they are found.