Researchers at Ohio State have given us a glimpse into the past by uncovering 1,700 viral species trapped inside glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau.

But this is no cause for alarm; we’re not going to contract any prehistoric viruses anytime soon.

The viruses, almost 75% of which were previously unknown to scientists, are no danger to humans.

Instead, the species, which were uncovered by drilling into, and taking samples from, the core of a glacier, could actually unlock vital information about our climate.

This is because scientists are now able to observe the adaptations of these viral strains, and determine how they evolved in reaction to changes in the atmosphere and environment around them.

The samples were taken from the Guliya Glacier, which is located in the Tibetan Plateau.

Due to the climate crisis and the earth’s rapidly warming temperatures, scientists are keen to explore glaciers while they still can. This kind of vital research is highly threatened by glacier melt.

In a statement from Ohio State University, lead author of the study ZhiPing Zhong explained how important the discovery of these viruses really is:

“Before this work, how viruses linked to large-scale changes in Earth’s climate had remained largely uninvestigated. Glacial ice is so precious, and we often don’t have the large amounts of material required for virus and microbe research.”

But how old really were these viruses?

Well, the research team highlight one particular virus which, according to their analysis, is 11,500 years old.

Why is this significant?

Well this means that the viral strain dates back to the time of a major climate transition from the Last Glacial Stage to the Holocene era, where the earth moved from cooler to warmer.

According to Zhong and the team at Ohio State, this suggests that this particular viral strain adapted to suit the changes in the climate around them, evidencing the potential for viruses to develop in response to climate change.

This is important to us, as it is important to know how the viruses currently present on earth will react to climate change, in particular environmental changes like the warming of our planet.
Lonnie Thompson, co-author of the study, explains how this development can help the world in exploring and addressing our climate crisis:

“To me, this science is a new tool that can answer basic climate questions that we couldn’t have answered otherwise. I’m optimistic about what can be done here, because if we work together, these techniques have much potential to help us start tackling a large array of scientific issues.”

This is exciting news for scientists who not only have 1,700 strains of viruses to examine, but also in helping to understand how our planet has responded to atmospheric events in the past.

The study, which was recently published in the academic journal Nature Geoscience will surely be the tip of the iceberg.

The sad truth is that, as the climate crisis goes on, the risk of losing vital evidence like this forever only heightens.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.