Scientists did not release a zombie plague by reviving a dormant virus, but their warning of a potential public health crisis is legitimate

You may have read the frightening headlines that are trending in the news now, Scientists revive ‘zombie’ virus that was trapped under frozen lake for 50,000 years, Scientists warn about revived ‘zombie virus’ in Russia, Zombie virus is revived after 48,500 years in the permafrost. These headlines may seem like a premise for a science fiction film, but there is some truth to them. The ancient viruses spotlighted in these articles cannot infect humans, but this hasn’t stopped many users on social media (examples here and here) from freaking out. 

A team of researchers from Aix-Marseille University uncovered ancient viruses from underneath a frozen lake in Siberia. The oldest virus, named Pandoravirus yedoma after the mythological character Pandora, was 48,500 years old, a record age for a frozen virus returning to a state where it has the potential to infect other organisms. The virus infects single-cell organisms known as amoebas, and cannot infect humans or animals. The scientists say the revival was done in a controlled laboratory. And, while dangerous, the viruses could help us prepare for pandemic-level issues as the permafrost thaws. The same researchers discovered a 30,000-year-old virus frozen in permafrost in 2014 and confirmed that it could still infect creatures. Other ancient viruses have been located in mammoth wool and the intestines of a Siberian wolf – all buried beneath the Siberian permafrost.

The preprint paper, titled, “An update on eukaryotic viruses revived from ancient permafrost” is published on the server bioRxiv. In the study, scientists found that all the “zombie viruses” that have been uncovered have the potential to be infectious, and are therefore a “health threat.”  If these giant viruses are still alive after several millennia, then it stands to reason that other viruses may be as well. The scientists warn, “It is therefore legitimate to ponder the risk of ancient viral particles remaining infectious and getting back into circulation by the thawing of ancient permafrost layers.”

More research is needed to determine the level of infectiousness of these viruses when exposed to the elements such as the open air or the heat from the sun.

The concern that climate change could unearth diseases that have been dormant is widespread in the scientific community. Here’s Sandy Dearth, Director, Center for Public Health Practice at Indiana University:

I think there is legitimate concern about climate change revealing organisms that have been buried/frozen. The frozen anthrax incident the author mentioned in the article is a true event that many of us epidemiologists reference when discussing the potential impact of climate change on public health.