Arctic zombie viruses from Siberia could lead to new pandemic, study finds
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Science and medicine
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Arctic zombie viruses from Siberia could lead to new pandemic, study finds

Arctic zombie viruses from Siberia could lead to new pandemic, study finds
Source:  The Guardian

Geneticist Jean-Michel Clavery, at the head of a group of scientists, isolated living viruses in Siberia and showed that they can still infect single-celled organisms. Even the fact that these arctic zombie viruses have been buried in permafrost for thousands of years won't be a problem.

Zombie viruses from the permafrost of Siberia: what is known

Scientists warn that a new terrible pandemic can be provoked by zombie viruses that are thawing in Siberia due to warming

This is reported by The Guardian.

Strains of these zombie viruses have already been isolated by researchers who have expressed fears that a new global emergency may be triggered not by a disease new to science, but by a disease from the distant past, the report said.

Scientists have already begun planning an Arctic monitoring network that would detect early cases of diseases caused by ancient microorganisms.

At the moment, the analysis of pandemic threats is focused on diseases that may arise in southern regions and then spread north, said geneticist Jean-Michel Clavery of the University of Aix-Marseille.

He also notes that little attention is being paid to an outbreak that could start in the far north and then spread south. He considers this a serious gap:

There are viruses that can infect people and cause a new outbreak of the disease.

This opinion was supported by virologist Marion Koopmans from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.

We don't know what viruses are out there in the permafrost, but I think there's a real risk that there might be one capable of triggering an outbreak of a disease - say, an ancient form of polio. We must assume that something like this can happen, the virologist suggests.

In 2014, geneticist Jean-Michel Clavery led a team of scientists who isolated live viruses in Siberia and showed that they can still infect single-celled organisms. Even the fact that they were buried in permafrost for thousands of years will not be a problem.

Further research published last year revealed the existence of several different virus strains from seven different locations in Siberia and showed that they could infect cultured cells. The age of one sample of the virus was 48,500 years, writes The Guardian.

What is known about the mass infection of the occupiers with anthrax in the Zaporizhzhia region

Fedorov noted that while digging trenches, Russian war criminals came across a mass burial of cattle and contracted anthrax.

As a result of the incident, the enemy unit is now quarantined.

According to the mayor, two Russian soldiers were initially brought to the Melitopol hospital, but after the diagnosis was confirmed, they were quickly discharged and taken to an unknown destination.

Even Ukrainian land is pushing back the occupiers. They definitely won't have a happy ending, Fedorov said.

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World
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Scholz demands to declare a "state of emergency" amid events in Ukraine

Scholz made an urgent appeal to the Bundestag
Source:  Ukrinform

German leader Olaf Scholz has officially called on the German parliament to urgently adopt a resolution recognizing Russia's war against Ukraine and its consequences for Europe as an "emergency situation."

Points of attention

  • The Bundestag must adopt a resolution on the serious consequences of war for the security of Germany and Europe.
  • Scholz supports reform of the "debt brake" to ensure investment in defense and security.

Scholz made an urgent appeal to the Bundestag

According to the German Chancellor, the Bundestag should adopt a resolution as soon as possible to classify the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine and its serious consequences for the security of Germany and Europe as an emergency situation within the meaning of Article 115, paragraph 2 of the Constitution.

This will mean that our support for Ukraine, which is more important than ever today, will no longer come at the expense of other tasks that our state must perform for its own citizens.

Olaf Scholz

Olaf Scholz

Chancellor of Germany

So far, the German leader has not explained what specific amounts of aid are being discussed and from what sources the funding will come.

Despite this, Olaf Scholz once again spoke about reforming the so-called "debt brake" to open up additional opportunities for investing in defense and security.

"It's about the peace and security of our country," the German Chancellor added.

According to him, given the statements and actions of US President Donald Trump, the answer to this question can no longer be ignored.

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