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Since COVlD-19, scientists have been looking ahead to the next potential global pandemicâand some believe it could come from the Arctic.
As climate change accelerates, permafrost and glaciers are melting, potentially releasing ancient, dormant microbesâoften called âzombie virusesââthat have been frozen for tens of thousands of years. Some of these have already been revived in labs, like the Pithovirus sibericum (30,000 years old) and Pacmanvirus lupus (from a 27,000-year-old wolf).
In 2016, thawed anthrax spores from a frozen reindeer carcass led to a deadly outbreak in Siberia. And in 2023, scientists discovered 1,700 ancient viruses inside a glacier in Chinaâmost never seen before.
Why itâs dangerous:
Our immune systems may have no defense against these ancient pathogens.
Zoonotic diseases (those that jump from animals to humans) are a major concern.
The Arctic lacks strong healthcare infrastructure, which could delay response times if an outbreak begins there.
Scientists warn: What happens in the Arctic doesnât stay in the Arctic.
