28 prehistoric viruses unknown to science were found in a glacial ice cores.
They are thought to be around 15,000 years old.
mguenot@businessinsider.com (Marianne Guenot) 3 hrs ago
Scientists have been able to revive 33 types of ancient viruses, which are thought to have been frozen in the ice of the Guliya ice cap in the Tibetan Plateau 15,000 years ago.
Of those, 28 were unknown to science.
The viruses, which were found in an ice core collected in 2015, were able to survive in the ice for thousands of years.
However, these viruses are unlikely to be harmful to humans, as their genetic makeup suggests they would have more likely originated from soil or plants, not animals or humans.
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Microbiome last month.
Older viruses, and more complex organisms, have been revived from the ice before
Although reviving ancient viruses sounds like the start of an apocalypse movie, there's little need to worry. The process has been carried out before with no negative consequences.
In 2014, scientists found a virus thought to be 30,000 years old inside a tiny animal called a protozoan, frozen in Siberian permafrost.
More:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/28-prehistoric-viruses-unknown-to-science-were-found-in-a-glacial-ice-cores-they-are-thought-to-be-around-15000-years-old/ar-AAMY852?li=BBnbfcL
= new reply since forum marked as read
