Scientists Revived 48,500 Years Old Zombie Virus in Russia

Zombie Virus

Researchers have revived over two dozen 'zombie viruses', including a 48,500 yrs old virus trapped in ice, according to a yet-to-be peer-reviewed study published on bioRxiv. The samples were collected from permafrost in the Siberia region of Russia. Scientists have found that these viruses remain infectious despite being dormant for hundreds of millennia.


Zombie Virus


European researchers examined ancient samples collected from permafrost in the Siberia region of Russia. They revived and characterized 13 new pathogens, what they termed “zombie viruses,” and found that they remained infectious despite spending many millennia trapped in the frozen ground, according to a report.




The oldest, dubbed as Pandoravirus Yedoma, is known to be 48,500 years old, which breaks the previous record held by a 30,000-year-old virus that was uncovered by the same team in 2013.


Reference: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.10.515937v1.full.pdf 

Tags
Listen to this article

#buttons=(Accept !) #days=(20)

Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Learn More
Accept !