'Global warming could unleash 650,000-year-old virus' warning

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Birgitta Evengaard, a professor of infectious diseases at Umea University in Sweden, stated that there is a little-known virus called "Factor X" in the permafrost, which is home to numerous dormant microorganisms.

Virologist Jean-Michel Claverie from Aix-Marseille University stated that an ancient virus that infected and caused the extinction of Neanderthals and mammoths could be present in the permafrost, which hosts many dormant microorganisms.

Speaking about what might be inside the permafrost, Claverie said, "Viruses from extinct diseases like smallpox; anthrax, which is always present in spore-contaminated areas; and also diseases already known to exist in today's Arctic, such as tularemia, a serious bacterial infection, or tick-borne encephalitis, could be hiding here."

A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED IN 2016

Experts stated that as our planet continues to warm, climate change will cause a series of deadly diseases that have been dormant for hundreds of thousands of years to return.

Emphasizing that global warming is a threat to humanity, experts also warned that it could trigger the release of extinct diseases such as smallpox or pathogens that once ravaged our ancestors.

Scientists stated that they predict our planet, which is 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times, could see ice-free Arctic summers in the 2030s.

In 2016, a heatwave in Siberia activated deadly anthrax spores that killed a 12-year-old child and thousands of animals.

CARBON DANGER

Stating that the melting of glaciers will not only release the viruses there, scientists said, "Insects like mosquitoes and ticks will continue to migrate further north and potentially come into contact with these ancient viruses. Thus, these animals that meet the ancient virus will drag humanity into a greater threat."

They stated that this is the worst-case scenario, but there is another bad scenario as well.

In the other bad scenario, scientists stated that heavy metals such as mercury, nuclear waste, and remnants from bombs are locked in the permafrost, but as they thaw due to global warming, they will be released as carbon dioxide, and 1.7 billion tons of carbon will threaten all of humanity through the air.

News Source: 12punto