Recently, scientists thawed several ancient viruses from Ice Age-old specimens in the Siberian permafrost. The study’s paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, validates their work as getting a medical head start in the face of growing climate change.

The researchers identified and revived 13 viruses belonging to five different ancestral lines in the Russian far east, including one sample believed to be 48,500 years old, potentially the oldest revived virus on record.

These viruses infect the amoebae, single-celled organisms found in every major lineage of cells with a nucleus, of organisms in soil and water. Experiments revealed that, despite being frozen for ages, the viruses can still be infectious, pathogens that invade cells and replicate.

The team, whose paper was recently posted on the preprint server bioRxiv, would like to focus more research on eukaryote-infecting viruses. They also explain the future threat these ancient microbial threats pose and potential solutions.

“As unfortunately well documented by recent (and ongoing) pandemics, each new virus, even related to known families, almost always requires the development of highly specific medical responses, such as new antivirals or vaccines,” the study authors write.

“There is no equivalent to ‘broad spectrum antibiotics’ against viruses, because of the lack of universally conserved druggable processes across the different viral families. 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,” they add.

As scary as their work sounds, perhaps we can’t afford to be frozen in fear standing on a rapidly-warming Earth.