Scientists in Alaska have made a recent discovery that may have damning consequences in the future. In Alaska, there is a 40-foot-long tunnel that houses the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). This laboratory has been used by researchers to study the frozen landscape in Alaska, which is the largest state in the United States of America.
It has existed for over half a century, and its researchers have made significant discoveries and contributions to science. Most of the time, scientists and researchers are working on permafrost, which is simply any ground or area that has been frozen for over two consecutive years.
It is typically an area that contains soil, gravel, and sand, which are all bound together by sand. Since Alaska is majorly cold and frozen, permafrost can be found in almost 85% of the entire state. It can also be found in Canada, Russia and Greenland.
However, permafrost also contains several forms of organic materials that have been frozen for thousands of years. In fact, scientists have discovered materials that have remained frozen all the way back to 11,000 years ago, the last ice age. These organic materials may be significant scientific discoveries, but researchers have discovered something a lot more sinister.
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According to reports, these permafrost contain organic materials including viruses and bacteria that the current world has never dealt with. As the world continues to battle serious global warming and climate changes, the permafrost are beginning to thaw.
However, this automatically means that the different types of pathogens that have been locked in this permafrost for centuries are now being let out into the modern world.
There is scientific proof that the smallpox virus can be found in permafrost. It also contains the virus that caused the Spanish influenza, which was an epidemic that spread in 1918. Another dangerous bacteria, the Bacillus Anthracis, which is also known as the anthrax bacteria is also present in permafrost.
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In 2016, scientists observed an outbreak of anthrax thanks to a frozen infected animal whose body melted from permafrost. The outbreak was serious as it affected thousands of livestock and reindeer. Since anthrax is very easily transmitted to humans, one child also got affected before the Russian medical system was able to contain it.
Therefore, scientists are scared that the constant thawing and melting of permafrost could lead to several disease outbreaks that the modern world is not prepared for. It can also bring back several diseases that the world has forgotten, making them more lethal to humans and animals.
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“Time-traveling” microorganisms are a huge cause of worry for the world and scientists are trying to raise awareness about this pressing issue. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit our species in 2019, its impact has continued to be felt for years and will continue to be felt in the future. Therefore, it is better to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.
This can be done by addressing the serious climate issues and trying to reduce global warming that will in turn reduce the melting of permafrost.
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