Ancient 48,500-year-old virus revived by permafrost thaw

Scientists revived ancient viruses, including a 48,500-year-old Pandoravirus, from Siberian permafrost, but only tested them on amoebas—not humans. This research shows that some ancient viruses can remain infectious, but there’s no evidence of a human threat. As Arctic permafrost thaws due to climate change, it could release unknown microbes and viruses. Most will likely be harmless, but the real risk lies in the uncertainty of what might emerge. The study highlights the need to understand these ancient organisms before permafrost thaws further and potentially exposes new biological threats.