2023-10-06 14:45:58
In Siberia, the oldest layers of permafrost may date back 1.5 million years. They could contain many such old frozen microorganisms, waiting to be awakened. Endovitskiy Vladimir / mangz – stock.adobe.com
DECRYPTION – With global warming, the resurgence of viruses or bacteria previously buried in soils frozen for thousands of years is a growing source of concern.
The story took place in the summer of 2016 on the Yamal Peninsula, in the north of western Russia, 400 kilometers beyond the Arctic Circle. That summer, when it was once again unusually hot, the permafrost (“permafrost» in English) – layer of earth located a few centimeters below the surface which remains permanently frozen – has melted. This is where reindeer carcasses have been imprisoned for several decades, probably infected with anthrax, the bacteria responsible for the disease “coal“. In any case, this is the thesis put forward by scientists to explain the astonishing resurgence of this contagious disease in the region, after 75 years of absence. More than 2,300 reindeer succumbed to the virus and around forty people were infected, including a 12-year-old child who died.
This case – which seems straight out of a disaster movie – perfectly illustrates a new risk linked to global warming: the release of microbes…
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