Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered nearly 1,000 species of bacteria in snow and ice samples collected from Tibetan glaciers, Phys.org reports.
Ice sheets and glaciers cover approximately 10% of the Earth’s surface and also serve as the largest reservoir of fresh water.
Scientists collected snow and ice samples from 21 glaciers in Tibet in 2010-2016, melted them down and tested them to see what was left in the water.
“In doing so, the researchers found 968 unique bacterial species, 98% of which have never been seen before. The results come following a study by another team that recently discovered several viruses in 15,000-year-old ice, most of which have never been seen before. “, the message says.
According to scientists, some of these bacteria and viruses can be infectious for animals and humans, and as snow and ice melt due to climate change, they can get into rivers and streams in populated areas with water.
“And perhaps even more of a problem may be that modern plants and animals, including humans, are not immune to old microbes, which suggests they can be deadly and difficult to treat. Thus, they represent the possibility of local epidemics.” and possibly pandemics.
The researchers note that the bacteria they studied came from a particularly important part of the world – melting snow and ice in Tibet feeds several rivers that lead to densely populated areas in China and India.
In this regard, experts propose to immediately begin work on the study of microbes that can spread from glaciers around the world.
