Permafrost Thawing and the Science Behind It

2016. Siberia. A child died from a sudden flare-up of anthrax. Dozens of people and about a thousand reindeer were infected. The spread of deadly bacteria was caused by the heat. The abnormal temperature melted the permafrost and shaved the infected carcass of a reindeer that had lain there for 75 years. But scientists claim that anthrax is not the most terrible thing that our planet hides. Danger awaits us everywhere: in glaciers, in the soil under our feet, and even in seawater. In 2002, microbiologists Mia Breitbart and Forest Rover from the University of South Florida

demonstrated that 200 liters of seawater contained over 5,000 unknown viruses. And no one knows at what point they can become deadly, as in the case of Covid-19. After all, coronaviruses were discovered back in the 1960s, and they were considered dangerous only for birds and animals. Only 50 years later, one of them became the cause of the largest pandemic of the 20th century. Fortunately, we have found ways to defeat this epidemic, but scientists say a new epidemic is inevitable. Where to expect the next blow? And what if the pandemic has already started?

Researchers believe that the next pandemic may be triggered not by a virus, but by a bacterium. After all, recently more and more new dangerous varieties have been appearing. For example, the so-called terrible bacteria krebe. Its main danger is that it is a superbug that no antibiotic known to us can destroy. Superbugs are virtually immortal. To survive adverse environmental conditions, they enter a state of dormancy, and layers of protective armor form around the cell. Thus, a dormant bacterium can survive without nutrients, unexposed to heat, cold, and antibiotics, for centuries. It seems like we are completely powerless against them. According to forecasts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 2050,

CRC will kill more people. than cancer. Such infections mostly occur in hospitals and infect patients who already have weakened immune systems. And since antibiotics don't work on superbugs, the cream can spread throughout the body and cause sepsis, organ failure, and death. Is this really the X virus that will destroy humanity? Don't panic, I have good news for you Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior research fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, says: "While these bacteria are terrible, they only spread in healthcare settings. You would have a hard time catching it in a supermarket or on the subway."

It turns out that Krebs is not disease X. It is capable of quickly spreading throughout the world and destroying half of humanity. There are much more chances of viruses. Especially since scientists recently made a shocking discovery in this area. Viruses have arms and legs. How do you like this news? In 2019, scientists collected a soil sample in Harvard Forest and found giant viruses in it. width up to 635 nm. By the way, the diameter of the common flu virus is only 80 to 120 nm. In just a few handfuls of soil, researchers found an astonishing variety of giant viruses that take on, they say, unimaginable shapes and forms.

The giant mimirus, for example, was actually discovered in 1992, but was misidentified as the bacterium Bretford Coccus. Ose because he was very big. The mimivirus particles were 750 nt long. But how dangerous are giant viruses? To survive, viruses must penetrate inside a host cell and create a so-called viral factory to produce new viruses. And the one who can infect as many cells as possible with its DNA will develop the fastest. Some giant viruses have super tools for this. For example, the Tupan virus discovered in Brazil spews its DNA through so-called stargates. They are located on its surface and remain closed for most of its life cycle. But once inside the host cell, each leg of the gate

unzips, allowing the viral genetic material to slip through the resulting hole. This kind of method helps the virus infect cells very quickly. Despite this, until recently, these giants were thought to be safe for humans, as they usually infect certain types of prokaryotes, such as bacteria and archaea, and not animals or humans. But only recently have researchers learned that large viruses can be infected by smaller viruses. And if a giant virus takes a dangerous passenger on board, it could easily become deadly. According to scientists, there are 10 million viruses on our planet.

They are everywhere: in the air, in the water, and right under our feet. We can coexist with most of them safely, but as Covid has shown, sudden outbreaks of viruses that were previously safe for us are possible. When can this happen next time? It seems that this question has been answered by the giant virus best known to scientists, Pitovirus sybaricum, buried in permafrost. It was 1,500 nanometers wide, which is more than 10 times larger than Covid-19. Scientists discovered it in 2014 during the ice age and were shocked. The 30,000-year-old virus was still alive. To better understand the risks associated with

frozen viruses, Jean-Michel Claverie, professor of medicine and genomics at the University of Aix-en-Marseille, introduced this ancient virus into cultured cells. And it turned out that it had not lost its ability to infect them. I'm scared to even imagine what other monsters our glaciers hide. 1997. Svardalyaska. Scientists have exhumed the 300-year-old mummified remains of a woman from permafrost. During the research, they discovered that the sample was also a lung. It contained genomic material from the Spanish flu strain responsible for the 1918 pandemic.

It was the influenza A virus. It enters the body through the nose, mouth, or eyes and infects the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, eventually developing into dangerous pneumonia. According to researchers, about 50 million people died from the Spanish flu in 1918-19. Imagine what this virus could do now if it broke out of the permafrost. I think scientists should not rush this process. Let the age-old ice remain ice for as long as possible, containing all the danger it contains. True, it will be much easier for us to convince scientists than global warming, which will eventually open this Pandora's box anyway.

argues that the pandemic has already begun. And while we fight giant viruses and bacteria, a tiny deadly enemy may already be entering our bodies. We will not be talking about a virus grown in secret laboratories. Although conspiracy theorists would like this version. I mean fungus. Fungal infections are extremely dangerous. They are difficult to diagnose and treat. And some doctors believe that the fungal pandemic began with the emergence of candida, a fungus that was discovered in Asia. in 2009, but popularity came to him during the Covid pandemic. Then it spread rapidly in hospitals and infected patients weakened by coronavirus. Candida can affect the circulatory and nervous systems and

most organs, including the brain and heart. But there is a fungus that is much more terrible. Moreover, perhaps we have all been infected with it for a long time. Remember the last time you saw black mold, for example, in the bathroom. It's a fungus called aspergillus. The high adaptability of Aspergillus allows it to survive in both dry and humid environments. In addition, it is resistant to low and high temperatures. In my opinion, the scariest thing is that this is a very common mold in nature, which can be found in large quantities in any corner of the world.

It is harmless to humans unless accidentally inhaled. Aspergillus enters the body through the lungs, from where it enters the bloodstream. If your immunity is normal, the infection can be contained. But a weak immune system or chronic lung disease allows Aspergillus to develop into serious pneumonia and even spread throughout the body. And yet, can fungi trigger a deadly pandemic? Dr. John Perfect, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Duke University School of Medicine, has been studying fungal infections for decades. The scientist warns that some strains of the fungus are already becoming resistant to antifungal drugs.

It turns out that bacteria, viruses, and fungi, like intelligent organisms, are learning to bypass our defenses and are becoming increasingly invulnerable. What could this end up being for us? The worst scenario that awaits us is a blow to our body from all sides. Just imagine the flu virus that weakens our immunity. Then mold comes into play. It gets into the lungs and causes pneumonia. And you end up in the hospital, where a superbug is already waiting for you, for which no cure has yet been found. The human body definitely cannot withstand such a massive blow. What do you think could trigger the next global pandemic?