In January 2021, a resident of Siberia accidentally discovered a very strange dead creature exposed to the melting ice. After bringing it to the testing center, we learned that this is a prehistoric creature called “lemming mouse” that existed more than 40,000 years ago.

During the Ice Age, lemmings were the most active species in the Arctic. Therefore, it is not surprising that their corpses were discovered under the permafrost.

Under this layer of ice also contains a large number of microorganisms, bacteria and viruses and many types of toxic materials from prehistoric times that were transported by “time machine” to modern times. There are many creatures in a state of hibernation, but scientists believe that just by putting them in a suitable environment, they can become active again.

The more extreme the environment changes, the more amazing discoveries there are such as in the North and South Pole regions, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and other icy regions, including Siberia.

Already many decades ago, residents of Siberia discovered various prehistoric creatures in the permafrost. For example, in 2005, a hunter while hunting discovered an animal frozen in thick ice. After digging up the animal, he discovered that it was a “monster” he had never seen before.

Finally, after a process of investigation, scientists confirmed that this was a mammoth from prehistoric times. The permafrost has preserved it so completely that it is hard for anyone to believe that it died tens of thousands of years ago.

There are many organisms discovered under permafrost, and under the right conditions they can all grow and grow again. From the perspective of science, these are all discoveries of great value, allowing people to better understand prehistoric times. But human safety is at risk if they are not carefully evaluated, because the impact of melting permafrost cannot be underestimated.

Prehistoric viruses arise

Since 2003, scientists have continuously discovered many prehistoric viruses in Siberian permafrost. They believe that, under the impact of global warming, the ice will melt, causing countless prehistoric virus species to revive and come into contact with the natural environment. And the scariest thing is that humans are completely unable to detect them and prevent them in time. Viruses will deal humans a fatal blow.

For example, in 2003, scientists discovered an ancient prehistoric organism called “Mollivirus sibericum” in the wasteland. When tested, it was found that this virus that was frozen 30,000 years ago could still miraculously come back to life after thawing.

How many prehistoric viruses are hidden under glaciers? Through collected documents, we can only know a few species. On January 7, 2020, a team of scientists from China and the United States discovered multiple prehistoric viruses from glaciers in the northwest of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China. The virus closest to us has been frozen for 15,000 years. Up to now, among those viruses there are 28 mysterious species that humans have never known.

The greenhouse effect has caused global warming, allowing these viruses to reappear in the modern world. Who knows, in the future, when glaciers around the globe will melt and ancient viruses may “revolt” on a larger scale. What could be the terrible consequences? Through the following incident, everyone can somewhat imagine.

Anthrax broke out in Siberia in 2016

This event happened in 2016. Along with the melting of the permafrost at that time, the body of a reindeer that died 75 years ago appeared. Of course, this is not the most horrifying thing. What’s really scary is that this reindeer, before being buried under permafrost, died of anthrax. After it melted from the ice, these anthrax viruses once again entered the natural world after 75 years of disappearance.

By the summer of 2016, high temperatures caused the anthrax virus to spread rapidly. Ultimately, more than 2,000 reindeer died from the virus 75 years ago. At the same time, this virus also transmitted to humans, exactly 13 people became sick. Fortunately, all cases were detected promptly. If not, it will definitely lead to extremely serious consequences.

In the future, it cannot be ruled out that prehistoric viruses suddenly “land” in the human world on a larger scale and at a more intense level, threatening the survival of all humanity. All people can do now is protect and live in harmony with nature to pay the price for thousands of years of destruction.