Researchers find virus frozen 15,000 years ago in glaciers of Tibet

Tibet Glacier
Photo: Getty Images (Ping Shu)

Permafrost, or permanently frozen, in free translation, is a surface that remains below freezing temperatures throughout the year in regions of the Arctic and other countries. extreme weather Such as Canada and Russia, as well as the state of Alaska in the United States. Ice preserves important information, particularly in the field of microbiology, that can help reveal the climate context of other epochs on the planet, as well as make predictions about future climate change.

hey global temperature rise This has led to the melting of regions that were frozen for most of the time. Although worrying, the landscape allows the researchers to expand their study to frozen regions. One of these surveys, led by scientists from The Ohio State University in the United States, revealed virus who have spent the last 15,000 years frozen in the glacier region of Tibet, Asia.

The classification of new viruses can be established using gene sharing analysis from viral sequences. According to the study, 33 types of viruses were found from genetic analysis, of which 28 are new. outcome of Study The Forum did not publish any scientific journal Microbiome.

Analysis focused on viruses that infect bacteria, are called bacteriophages. According to the study, the data open to the development of new research in the area of ​​viral communities present in glaciers.

“These methods and datasets may allow researchers to reference new findings and begin to incorporate ice microbes and their viruses into context. Climate change past and present in geographically diverse regions around the world,” the article says.

About the author: Raven Weber

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