As the world warms, permafrost is being exposed. AP Photo
As the world warms, permafrost is being exposed. AP Photo
As the world warms, permafrost is being exposed. AP Photo
As the world warms, permafrost is being exposed. AP Photo

What is the 'zombie virus' found in Russia – and should we be worried?


Daniel Bardsley
  • English
  • Arabic

The words "zombie virus discovered in Russian ice" sounds like something straight out of a horror film ― although after the pandemic, it's pretty difficult to shock any of us.

But scientists recently published research that shows viruses frozen for tens of thousands of years in Siberian permafrost are being revived.

Researchers from France, Germany and Russia revived 13 new types of virus that had been on ice in Siberian soil for between 27,000 and 48,500 years.

They said their work posed negligible risk to people ― unlike that of other scientists looking for ancient viruses in frozen remains of mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses or prehistoric horses.

There’s a Pandora’s box – they have the potential to be human pathogens
Prof Birgitta Evengard,
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umea University, Sweden

But their results could, they wrote, "be extrapolated to many other DNA viruses capable of infecting humans or animals".

"It is thus likely that ancient permafrost … will release these unknown viruses upon thawing," they said in bioRxiv, an online research portal, in December.

"How long these viruses could remain infectious once exposed to outdoor conditions and how likely they will be to encounter and infect a suitable host in the interval, is yet impossible to estimate.

"But the risk is bound to increase in the context of global warming, when permafrost thawing will keep accelerating, and more people will be populating the Arctic in the wake of industrial ventures."

'Back-from-the-dead' viruses

The so-called zombie viruses are no threat to people, being types that infect only micro-organisms, but other pathogens released in future as permafrost melts could, scientists say, pose risks to humans.

Reports from Greenpeace, the environmental organisation, have even asked if such "back-from-the-dead" pathogens could lead to a new pandemic.

The findings are an echo of the 1993 film Jurassic Park, in which scientists cloned dinosaurs using DNA taken from insects preserved in amber ― only for the creatures to wreak havoc on humankind.

Permafrost, or permanently frozen soil, is mostly found in Alaska, Canada and Siberia, and covers about a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere, but areas are thawing as the climate warms.

Numerous other research groups are looking at pathogens, including bacteria, and larger organisms being released as a result.

__________________________________

How the climate crisis is changing our world - in pictures

  • The Kuwait Towers are shrouded amid a sandstorm. The world has seen more extreme weather in the past decade, with the Gulf witnessing cyclones, flooding and extreme heat. EPA
    The Kuwait Towers are shrouded amid a sandstorm. The world has seen more extreme weather in the past decade, with the Gulf witnessing cyclones, flooding and extreme heat. EPA
  • A formerly sunken boat sits upright on the shore of Lake Mead, Nevada, where water levels have dropped. EPA
    A formerly sunken boat sits upright on the shore of Lake Mead, Nevada, where water levels have dropped. EPA
  • Homes surrounded by floodwater in Pakistan's south-western Baluchistan province earlier this year. AP Photo
    Homes surrounded by floodwater in Pakistan's south-western Baluchistan province earlier this year. AP Photo
  • Steam rises from a coal-fired power plant near Grevenbroich, Germany. AP Photo
    Steam rises from a coal-fired power plant near Grevenbroich, Germany. AP Photo
  • Activists display prints replicating solar panels during a rally to mark Earth Day in Washington. AP Photo
    Activists display prints replicating solar panels during a rally to mark Earth Day in Washington. AP Photo
  • A glacier, which has lost most of its ice in the past few years, on Mount Zugspitze, Germany. AP Photo
    A glacier, which has lost most of its ice in the past few years, on Mount Zugspitze, Germany. AP Photo
  • A bucket wheel excavator mining coal at an open-cast mine in Luetzerath, Germany. AP Photo
    A bucket wheel excavator mining coal at an open-cast mine in Luetzerath, Germany. AP Photo
  • Climate activists form a human chain spelling out '100% renewable', at Cop21 in Paris in 2015. AP
    Climate activists form a human chain spelling out '100% renewable', at Cop21 in Paris in 2015. AP
  • US president George W Bush and first lady Barbara Bush sign a pledge to protect the Earth in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. AP Photo
    US president George W Bush and first lady Barbara Bush sign a pledge to protect the Earth in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. AP Photo
  • Extinction Rebellion activists holds placards at Cop26 last year in Glasgow, Scotland. AP Photo
    Extinction Rebellion activists holds placards at Cop26 last year in Glasgow, Scotland. AP Photo
  • Demonstrators hold banners calling for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. AP Photo
    Demonstrators hold banners calling for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. AP Photo
  • An artwork entitled 'One Heart One Tree' by Naziha Mestaoui is displayed on the Eiffel Tower before the 2015 Paris climate conference. AP Photo
    An artwork entitled 'One Heart One Tree' by Naziha Mestaoui is displayed on the Eiffel Tower before the 2015 Paris climate conference. AP Photo
  • A woman works at a coal depot in Ahmedabad, India, in May. AP Photo
    A woman works at a coal depot in Ahmedabad, India, in May. AP Photo
  • Plastic waste on the banks of the Nile in Cairo in September. AP Photo
    Plastic waste on the banks of the Nile in Cairo in September. AP Photo
  • Steam rises from a coal-fired power plant Niederaussem, Germany. AP Photo
    Steam rises from a coal-fired power plant Niederaussem, Germany. AP Photo
  • Lake Poopo, home to the Uru Murato indigenous community in Bolivia, has largely become a desert. AFP
    Lake Poopo, home to the Uru Murato indigenous community in Bolivia, has largely become a desert. AFP
  • US firefighters battle a blaze near Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 2011. AP Photo
    US firefighters battle a blaze near Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 2011. AP Photo
  • Cars on motorway in Frankfurt, Germany. Vehicle emissions are a contributor to climate change. AP Photo
    Cars on motorway in Frankfurt, Germany. Vehicle emissions are a contributor to climate change. AP Photo
  • The rapidly drying marshes of Chibayish in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province. AFP
    The rapidly drying marshes of Chibayish in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province. AFP

__________________________________

Viruses dating back 15,000 years have been discovered in an ice cap in Tibet, research published last year revealed.

Even more extraordinarily, 2018 reports indicated that tiny nematode worms had been brought back to life from Siberian soil samples frozen for up to 42,000 years.

The researchers behind that study were confident that the creatures, which began to move and eat after being kept at 20°C in Petri dishes containing a nutrient medium, were not there because of contamination of samples.

Among those interested in the disease threats from permafrost micro-organisms is Prof Birgitta Evengard, of the Department of Clinical Microbiology at Umea University in Sweden.

Prof Evengard helped to organise a 2019 conference, Understanding and Responding to Global Health Security Risks from Microbial Threats in the Arctic.

Pandora's box

She said it was not possible to say that some pathogens found in thawing permafrost would definitely pose a threat to people, but there was a chance that they would.

"There’s a Pandora’s box ― they have the potential to be human pathogens," she said, adding that there would be spillover into the environment.

"In Siberia you have three rivers bringing out debris from permafrost into the Bering Sea, ocean currents that are quite busy.

"They will take it around the world in a couple of weeks. People don’t realise that. The world is very, very connected by all ecosystems ― the oceans, terrestrial and the air."

The risks are increased because research released a few months ago revealed that the Arctic has, since 1979, warmed nearly four times faster than the globe as a whole, a finding that Prof Evengard described as alarming.

"This means what’s happening in the Arctic is the driver for what’s going to happen in the rest of the world," she said.

It was important, she added, for scientists to have access to regions such as Siberia so that they could analyse what was happening.

Aside from potentially releasing pathogens into the environment and causing areas of land to collapse, the permafrost thawing risks accelerating climate change.

As ground thaws these microbes cause the release of carbon dioxide and methane, both greenhouse gases, because they consume organic matter in the soil.

This article was first published in December, 2022

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

MATCH DETAILS

Liverpool 2

Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)

Genk 1

Samatta (40)

 

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals

2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis

2004 Beat Andy Roddick

2005 Beat Andy Roddick

2006 Beat Rafael Nadal

2007 Beat Rafael Nadal

2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal

2009 Beat Andy Roddick

2012 Beat Andy Murray

2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic

2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic

2017 Beat Marin Cilic

MATCH INFO

Confederations Cup Group B

Germany v Chile

Kick-off: Thursday, 10pm (UAE)

Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan

Watch live: Abu Dhabi Sports HD

Schedule for show courts

Centre Court - from 4pm UAE time

Johanna Konta (6) v Donna Vekic

Andy Murray (1) v Dustin Brown

Rafael Nadal (4) v Donald Young

 

Court 1 - from 4pm UAE time

Kei Nishikori (9) v Sergiy Stakhovsky

Qiang Wang v Venus Williams (10)

Beatriz Haddad Maia v Simona Halep (2)

 

Court 2 - from 2.30pm

Heather Watson v Anastasija Sevastova (18)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) v Simone Bolelli

Florian Mayer v Marin Cilic (7)

 

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

 

 

 

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ovasave%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Majd%20Abu%20Zant%20and%20Torkia%20Mahloul%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Healthtech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Three%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24400%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

How Apple's credit card works

The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.

What does it cost?

Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.

What will the interest rate be?

The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts

What about security? 

The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.

Is it easy to use?

Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision. 

* Associated Press 

The biog

Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns

Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Food of choice: Sushi  

Favourite colour: Orange

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Getting%20there%20and%20where%20to%20stay
%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate 

How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now

Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.

Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Updated: May 12, 2023, 8:41 AM