The melting of the ice will contribute to the spread of dangerous epidemics that science did not know before
Scientists have made an astonishing discovery after identifying more than 900 never-before-seen species of microbes that once lived inside glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau.
Analysis of the genomes of microbes revealed that some of these microbes have the potential to create new epidemics, if rapid melting caused by climate change releases them from their icy prisons.
These results are the result of a new study from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which analyzed 21 samples extracted from the Tibetan glacier plateau, the highland region of Asia that lies between the Himalayas in the south and the Taklamakan Desert in the north.
It is reported that this is the first time that the genetic sequence of a microbial community hidden inside a glacier has been dissected.
The research team found 968 species of microbes frozen inside the ice, most of which are bacteria but also include algae, archaea and fungi.
But the most surprising thing about this research is that about 98% of these species were completely new to the scientific community.
The researchers could not accurately determine the age of some of these microbes. However, previous studies have suggested that it is possible to revive microbes that have been trapped in ice for up to 10,000 years.
The researchers found that the amazing microbial diversity within the glaciers, along with rapidly increasing snow melt due to climate change, enhances the chances of potentially dangerous microbes escaping and potentially leading to new epidemics.
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