Scientists simulated ancient viruses to see what impact they would have on the environment. While most had few consequences, 1% were capable of killing their hosts and disrupting ecosystems.
Ancient pathogens that have been locked away for hundreds of thousands of years are starting to emerge from permafrost as climate change takes hold — and around 1% of these could pose a substantial risk to modern ecosystems, a study has found.
Amid global warming, some of these microbes, including those with the potential to cause disease, are being released as the permafrost thaws. In 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Siberia killed thousands of reindeer and affected dozens of people, which scientists attributed to melting permafrost. These pathogens pose a potential risk because humans and other living organisms alive today have not been exposed to them for so long — meaning modern ecosystems may have few defenses against them.
In the simulation, digital microbes had to compete for resources, mimicking what happens in the real world. Some of the viruses infected and killed a fraction of the bacteria-like hosts, while other bacterial hosts developed immunity against the evolving pathogens.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Black hole jet surprises scientists with 'peculiar' radio signalSuperfast changes to the intensity of a jet blasting out from a small black hole have been detected for the first time.
Read more »
Beyond the Great Migration: stories from the past and presentWhat places are younger Black folks leaving? Where are they going? How have their migration patterns transformed their relationship to place? Stories from modern migrations, via BlackJoyReckon:
Read more »
Normani, Marrisa Wilson and More Entrepreneurs on Celebrating Black-owned Brands During Black Business MonthTo celebrate Black Business Month, Normani showed support to the nonprofit organization Buy From a Black Woman Tour with H&M.
Read more »
How scientists work to correct the record when there is an error in a paperThe resignation of Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne has raised questions about the process for correcting the scientific record when things go awry.
Read more »
Scientists mapped out the beat of our heart, here's what they foundLike the brain, our heart also has an intricate network of cells that makes it work, known as the cardiac conduction system (CCS). Here are some secrets the CCS holds within.
Read more »
Scientists find antibodies capable of beating COVID variants“This work provides encouraging evidence that pan-coronavirus vaccines are possible if they can ‘educate’ the human immune system in the right way,” senior author Wang Linfa, a professor and bat vi…
Read more »