new threat
– Photo : Pixabay
The next pandemic may not come from any bat or animal, but from the melting ice around the world. This claim has been made in a research published in the biological journal ‘Proceedings of the Royal Society B’. In fact, due to climate change, the ice of glaciers is decreasing, due to which viruses and bacteria can come out and spread in it.
Viral spillover is a process in which the virus acquires a new host. Host can be human, animal, plant- anyone. The virus infects the host, threatening the spread of an epidemic. Genetic analysis of soil has revealed that the world is at risk of spreading new viruses due to rapid melting of ice.
33 viruses found in glacier in Tibet
During a study in 2021, scientists discovered 33 viruses. They were frozen in ice for the last 15 thousand years. Of these, 28 viruses were brand new, that is, they had never been seen before. All of them originated from the glaciers of Tibet. This glacier has melted due to global warming.
samples taken from arctic ponds
Viruses are in every corner of the world. For this research, the team of scientists collected samples from Lake Hazen, the largest pond in the Arctic Circle. This freshwater lake is located in Canada. The RNA and DNA found in it were matched with the virus found so far.
Researchers said that as the glaciers melt, the viruses present in them will come out and infect us. In the research, the region of the Arctic was chosen because the ice here is melting at a faster rate than other snowy areas. The temperature here is hotter and the risk of viral spillover is also high.
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