A study by scientists shows that thousands of unknown types of microorganisms are trapped inside the vast glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau. Scientists say that if global warming and climate change, which are affecting the international environment, reach an increased level, these glaciers will melt and allow them to come out. Some of these are also believed to be capable of creating other deadly epidemics in the world.
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China collected microbial samples from 21 glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau, located between the Himalayan mountain range and the Taklamakan desert. This was then subjected to a process called DNA sequencing. This is the first time scientists have genetically sequenced microbes living inside ice.
The data collected after sequencing was compiled into the Tibetan Glacier Genome and Gene (TGTUG) Catalog. Scientists have identified and classified 968 species of microbes as part of this. Most of these are bacteria. Algae and fungi are also present. 98% of these microbes are new to science.
The study results were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Scientists say that it is remarkable that they have survived adverse factors such as extreme cold weather inside the ice, lack of sunlight and lack of nutritional minerals.
By analyzing the genetic information of the microorganisms found, scientists have found that some of these are extremely harmful to humans. About a quarter of a million virulence factors have been found from these that help to invade and colonize the human body system. Once outside, the bacteria inside the ice could transfer these genetic elements to bacteria that are common on Earth today, making them dangerous. Adding to the seriousness of the problem is the fact that the Tibetan glaciers are the source of some of the world’s great rivers.
Scientists are not sure how old these microbes are. Studies have shown that even microbes that have been dormant in ice for over ten thousand years can be brought back to life. This is not the first time that micro-organisms preserved in ice in this way have been found in Tibet. In a research conducted in Tibet in January 2020, scientists discovered 28 types of new viruses. Scientists believe that about twenty thousand glaciers in the world may have dormant microbes like this. Studies have also revealed prehistoric microbes under permafrost ice deposits in Siberia and other arctic regions. Microbes in ice are one of the strongest arguments for humanity’s need to control global warming.
English Summary: Nearly 1,000 Microbe Species Have Just Been Discovered in ‘Extreme’ Tibetan Glaciers