NEWS AND OPINION: Scientists at the Vector research center in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia are analysing the remains of mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses together with other ice age animals to find and revive prehistoric paleoviruses.
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| Photo: Semyon Grigoryev/NEFU |
Some of these viruses have been in the permafrost of their area for 200,000-400,000 years. A professor from the National Center of Scientific Research at the University of Aix Marseille, Jean-Michel Claverie, said:
"The Vector research is very, very risky. Our immune systems have never encountered these types of viruses. Some of them could be 200,000 or even 400,000 years old".
He said that these viruses that killed the mammoths and other prehistoric animals would be able to infect humans. In other words they are zoonotic.
It's noteworthy that the Vector state research center of virology and biotechnology is one of 59 maximum-security bar labs in the world. It is a former Soviet biological weapons laboratory.
It is only one of two bio centres that are allowed to keep samples of the deadly smallpox virus. The other is in the United States. The Vector center has a relatively poor reputation because of a number of accidents occurring at the facility.
In 2019 a fire broke out at the facility which is heavily guarded. The fire injured a worker and shattered windows. There were fears that the public would be exposed to deadly pathogens.
In 2000 for a researcher died when she accidentally pricked herself with a needle containing the Ebola virus.
Finally, the laboratory is inspected every two years by the World Health Organisation but, in 2019 the team from the World Health Organisation were unable to observe the researchers conducting practical work because it was closed for scheduled maintenance ostensibly.
The most recent report is dated 2019.
The French have also been involved in similar projects concerning paleoviruses but there's a difference. Last month, in 2022, French scientists announced that they had revived a zombie virus which had been under a lake bed in Yakutia for 50,000 years. However, they were focusing on amoeba-infecting viruses which are almost no danger to humans.
The concern here, as I read the report in The Times is that the Russians are digging up frozen mammoths in order to try and find a virus that can be used against their perceived enemies in biowarfare.
This is a reasonable supposition bearing in mind Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the barbaric, murderous way he is killing civilians in what are quite clearly war crimes.
They want to awaken dormant ancient viruses to further terrorise the world. That is my personal thought on this report.
Forgive me for not discussing cats on this occasion. Although this story does indirectly relate to domestic cats because, for the obvious reason, if people are killed then their cat companions are also killed if they have them. And anything which can harm people in large numbers can also harm domestic cat companions. There is a direct connection.
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