1700 virus species found in the Himalayas one of them is 11 thousand years old

Researchers have discovered about 1700 ancient virus species hidden in the snow of the Himalayas. This study has been published in Nature Geoscience magazine. It says that about three-fourths of the viruses found were unknown to scientists. Scientists had taken samples of ice layers from Guliya Glacier located on the Tibetan Plateau. Virus species were found in them. Gulia Glacier is about 6400 meters above sea level. Researchers want to understand how viruses adapt to changes in climate.

Newsweek’s Report According to the study, co-author of the study and scientist associated with Ohio State University, Zhiping Zhong has said that how viruses are related to climate change has never been investigated before. He said that we do not have such material for research on viruses and microbes, in this case glacier ice is very valuable.

According to the study, the viruses were discovered in 2015. They witnessed three cold-hot weather cycles in the last 41 thousand years. Scientists also discovered a virus from the samples, which is from about 11 thousand 500 years ago. At that time the Earth’s climate was changing from cold to hot. Presently we live in this situation.

Scientists have received many more information like – about a quarter of the viruses have overlapped with species found in other places. That means some viruses came from the Middle East or Arctic areas.

After this discovery, researchers feel that they will be able to predict better how viruses will react to climate change in the future. According to another report, such viruses have been detected all over the world including Siberia, which are frozen but have the ability to infect humans.