Viruses in China … a 15,000-year-old story



[ad_1]

Scientists have said dozens of unknown types of viruses have been found, which may provide new information on how viral history has changed.

Glaciers are a very important way to preserve deep history, as they trap dust particles, traces of gas, microbes and even plant material from different periods.

As these layers build up over time, guests will be able to dig and study the ice core to learn more about past climates and previous life types.

In the new study, led by researchers at Ohio University in the United States, drilling was drilled beneath the Julia River ice cap on the Tibetan Plateau, dubbed the “roof of the world” because of its high altitude.

The history of the glacier over 14,000 years ago.

The team dug this ice to see if there were viruses or not, and indeed, the scientists found 33 viruses.

Four of these viruses belong to known types of phage that invade bacteria, but at least 28 do not correspond to any known species.

The team speculates that the viruses may have come from plants and soil, but that doesn’t mean that ice was able to wash them out or freeze them, as about half of them appeared to be able to survive in ice.

Matthew Sullivan, co-author of the study, says these viruses could have thrived in harsh environments, due to their ingredients that help them infect cells in cold environments.

Contamination by modern microbes is a serious problem for this type of study, so the researchers developed a new method to sterilize the ice core, then they removed about half a centimeter of the outer material with different techniques, then l The inside of the core, which was free of contamination, was examined.

The researchers say that being able to better study ancient viruses could help scientists better understand their evolutionary history, especially their adaptation to climate change.



[ad_2]
Source link