Horror movies often depict ancient creatures emerging from cold storage in melted ice. The story is almost similar to the discovery of an ancient virus that hid the melting Tibetan glaciers.
Quoted from Science Alert, Wednesday (21/7/2021) this melting of the ice raises a number of concerns about the ancient virus that is haunting us again.
“Dilution will not only cause the loss of‘ archived ’ancient microbes and viruses, but also release them into the environment in the future,” the researchers wrote in a study led by microbiologist Zhi-Ping Zhong of Ohio State University.
Thanks to new metagenomic techniques and new methods to keep its ice core samples sterile, researchers are working to gain a better understanding of what actually is in the cold.
In this study, the team was able to identify an ‘archive’ of dozens of unique 15,000-year-old viruses from the Guliya ice sheet in the Tibetan Plateau, and gain an insight into their function.
"These glaciers formed gradually, and along with the dust and gas, many viruses were also stored on the ice," Zhong said. These microbes, he said, potentially represent them in the atmosphere when stored.
Previous studies have shown that microbial communities correlate with changes in dust and ion concentrations in the atmosphere, and can also indicate climatic and environmental conditions at the time.
In this ancient frozen record, 6.7 kilometers above sea level in China, the researchers found that 28 of the 33 viruses they identified had never been seen before.
"These are viruses that will multiply in extreme environments," said Ohio State University microbiologist Matthew Sullivan, adding that the viruses have special genes that help them infect cells in cold environments.
Comparing their genetic sequence with a database of known viruses, the team found that the virus most abundant in the two ice core samples was a bacteriophage that infected Methylobacterium. These are important bacteria for the methane cycle in ice.
These bacteria are most closely related to viruses found in Methylobacterium strains in plant habitats and soil. These findings are in line with previous reports that the main source of dust stored in the Guliya ice sheet may be soil.
“This frozen virus is likely to originate from soil or plants and facilitate nutrient uptake for its host,” the team said.
While the specter of the ancient virus is alarming enough in the midst of this epidemic, the real danger lies in what else the melting ice will release, including large reserves of methane and trapped carbon. On the other hand, ice also provides insights into past environmental changes and the evolution of viruses.
"We know very little about viruses and microbes in this extreme environment, and what they actually exist," said Earth scientist Lonnie Thompson.
"How do bacteria and viruses respond to climate change? What happens when we move from an ice age to a warmer time like today?" he asked.
Clearly, there are so many mysteries on this Earth that must be explored by scientists and experts. These hidden viruses are just a handful of natural secrets uncovered.
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