15,000 year old virus discovered in China ..!

Times of AthibAn Thursday, July 22, 2021 0

Scientists have discovered viruses dating back 15,000 years in a study of Tibetan glaciers in China.

Scientists at Ohio State University were conducting research on glaciers. Samples of the glacier at 22,000 feet above sea level were collected and studied in western China in 2015.

It has now been discovered that 2 glaciers collected for the study contained viruses dating back 15 thousand years. It has been revealed that the viruses have been extinct since they were inside the glacier for a long time.

Ji Ping Zhang, the team's chief scientist and professor of microbiology, said dust, gases and viruses were buried in the continuously rising ice sheets.

Genetic codes for 33 of the detected viruses have been analyzed and 4 of them have already been identified.

The team said the discovery of viruses buried in glaciers could shed light on the evolution of viruses.

It has also been suggested that viruses are an important organism in ecology and may be helpful in the study of pre-existing ecological conditions.