<h5>Okay, what has happened?</h5>  <p>As the global temperature rises, glaciers and permafrost are melting. This is releasing microbes that had been trapped in the ice for centuries. Among them is a 48,500-year-old zombie virus that has been revived (a zombie virus? yikes!).</p>
<p>European researchers examined the old samples taken from permafrost in Russia's Siberia region. They revived 13 new pathogens, named "zombie viruses". The scientists found that the viruses remained infectious despite spending years frozen in the ground (creepy, isn’t it?).</p>
<p>The oldest out of these is named “Pandoravirus Yedoma”, which is 48,500 years old. This find has broken the previous record of a 30,000-year-old virus discovered by the same team in 2013.</p> <h5>Will the revived virus be dangerous to humans and animals?</h5> <figure>
        <img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/scientists-have-revived-a-48500yearold-zombie-virus%2F1026px-Permafrost_pattern%20(1).jpg?alt=media&token=e90d17a7-45e9-4ef7-b9ca-f8d98e979dc5" alt="Will the revived virus be dangerous to humans and animals?" >
        <figcaption>An image showing a permafrost pattern. Photo by Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0.</figcaption>
      </figure> <p>Scientists claim that more bacteria and viruses are being released because rising global temperatures have sped up the melting of ice. They have warned that these bacteria may contain harmful pathogens (oh no!).</p>
<p>
However, there is some good news. The researchers who revived these newly found viruses have said they have no chance of harming any humans or animals because most of them are harmless. Also, none of these viruses is anything like the zombie viruses from the movies!</p>
<p>But scientists believe that some new viruses could be found in the future that would be dangerous to humans or animals.</p>
<p>So, there’s still a chance that an ancient virus might get released due to the melting of the permafrost, which can cause harm to humans and animals (hopefully no such virus gets released). The study conducted by the scientists has been published in an online archive named “bioRxiv.” </p> <h5>So, what is permafrost?</h5>  <p>Permafrost covers large areas of the Earth. Permafrost is defined as any ground that has been completely frozen for at least two years. These permanently frozen grounds are most common in mountainous areas and near the North and South Poles.</p>
<p>Permafrost regions are not always covered in snow, even though the ground is frozen. Permafrost is a mixture of soil, rocks, and sand that is held together by ice. Permafrost soil and ice remain frozen all year. </p>
<p>Permafrost is thawing as the Earth's climate warms. This means that the ice inside the permafrost is melting, leaving behind water and soil.
Permafrost thawing can impact the planet. When permafrost thaws, ancient bacteria and viruses are released that can cause harm. Melting of permafrost also releases frozen plants or animal remains. They do not rot due to being frozen, but after the ice melts they decompose. This releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which harms it.</p>
<p>Scientists are closely watching Earth's permafrost because of these dangers.</p> <h5>What did we learn from this article?</h5>  <p>We learned how far science has progressed. We also learned how climate change is responsible for the release of ancient viruses and bacteria. So, we must take care of our environment and ensure that climate change doesn’t cause any harm to us.</p>
<p>
Do you think there could ever be a real zombie virus like the ones in movies? How will you survive that? Write in the comments below!</p>

European scientists have revived old bacteria samples that they found in Russia’s Serbia region. Are these viruses harmful to us? Let’s read to find out more.

Scientists Have Revived a 48,500-Year-Old Zombie Virus

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