Giant Virus revived from ancient permafrost; isn't harmful to humans.

[Dazzle]

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/giant-virus-revived-from-ancient-permafrost

]Giant virus revived from ancient permafrost

Scientists have discovered a new type of virus in 30,000-year-old permafrost and managed to revive it, producing an infection.

Fortunately, the new virus, named Pithovirus sibericum, infects amoebas and is not harmful to humans.

But its ability to become infectious again after so many millenniums is a warning, writes Jean-Michel Claverie at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique at Aix-Marseille University and his colleagues in a new study published Monday..

"The revival of such an ancestral amoeba infecting virus … suggests that the thawing of permafrost either from global warming or industrial exploitation of circumpolar regions might not be exempt from future threats to human or animal health," they wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Giant DNA viruses, first discovered just 10 years ago, are so big compared with most other viruses that they are visible under a visible light microscope. Before the new virus was discovered, just two families were known. Both infect amoebas.

The researchers collected a 30,000-year-old permafrost core from Siberia. In order to hunt for giant viruses, they took a type of amoeba that often gets infected with giant viruses and used it as bait. After the amoebas were exposed to permafrost samples, the amoebas became infected with a previously unknown giant virus. The virus has a mix of traits from the two known giant virus families.

The researchers suggest that looking for amoeba-infecting viruses in permafrost is an "inexpensive and safe way to realistically assess the threat" posed by pathogens that might be released from ancient frozen soils and sediments as permafrost melts, either due to global warming or industrial activities such as mining and drilling.

Wow!

That's scary. A virus that hasn't truly died from the cold that can be revived. This particular virus isn't apparently harmful to humans though.

[MJDDawg]

Wow is right.

[Brendan Gaunce]

Super scary. Read this article right after watching World War Z too

[Hobble]

To be fair, its no guarantee any ancient virus will be able to infect humans, considering our species is relatively new.

However, it could also mean that there could be a virus we've never been exposed to that could wreak havoc.

Scary stuff.

[Where's Wellwood]

Just wait till it mutates and then we've got a Helix/Walking Dead situation on our hands.

[theminister]

Viruses aren't technically alive so I would guess any one of them that is sufficiently frozen without having it's structure damaged, and then thawed near a host, would be able to be revived.

[aGENT]

*gulp*

[Offensive Threat]

Fear mongering is fun.

[Dazzle]

Fear mongering is fun.

Fear mongering is meant to manipulate public opinion, but I'm confused as to why you brought up 'fear mongering'. This thread is not misleading in any way; the title says exactly what is said in the article, including the fact that the virus isn't harmful to humans.

If you're talking about fear mongering when it comes to science and 'climate change', the raw data supports the fact that the ice is melting. There may be dispute over how soon that all the ice will melt, but that's a different point.

[VICanucksfan5551]

Fear mongering is meant to manipulate public opinion, but I'm confused as to why you brought up 'fear mongering'. This thread is not misleading in any way; the title says exactly what is said in the article, including the fact that the virus isn't harmful to humans.

If you're talking about fear mongering when it comes to science and 'climate change', the raw data supports the fact that the ice is melting. There may be dispute over how soon that all the ice will melt, but that's a different point.

I assume it was in reference to some of the comments in this thread.

[B00MER]

As long as we don't get the running zombies I'm fine. The slow ones are pretty cute. Wouldn't mind having one as a pet