On June 29, 2022, according to foreign media reports, while several Canadian gold miners were digging in the Klondike permafrost in the Yukon Territory in northwest Canada, actually dug up the body of a mammoth .
Paleontologists have identified it as a 130,000-year-old mammoth. This mammoth was only about 1 month old when it died. The most special thing about it is that its body is really solid in the frozen soil. It is so completely preserved that even though 30,000 years have passed, 's hair, skin, body, and internal organs are still complete and clear, and its face is still lifelike, as if it had just died.
Paleontologists call this the most complete preserved mammoth remains in North America so far, and named the mammoth Nun cho ga, which means big animal cub.
You should know or have heard of the mammoth. This is a prehistoric creature , also known as woolly mammoth . It lives in the cold climate of Eurasia and the northern part of North America. It was once the largest mammal on the earth. one.
Mammoths lived about 3 million to 10,000 years ago. The last batch of extinct mammoths was not particularly long ago, about 4,000 years ago.
So how did the mammoths become extinct?
There are currently several mainstream views in the biological community: The first view is a drastic change in the environment. At the end of the prehistoric ice age, the global climate began to warm, glaciers melted, sea levels rose , rainfall increased, and there were more and more trees. , Mammoths that live in grasslands and feed on grass are forced to migrate to places with lower temperatures further north. During the migration, a large number of mammoths will starve to death or die of disease.
The second view is that there is a problem with the genes of the descendants of mammoths. In the new habitat, mammoths no longer live together as concentratedly as before. At this time, most of the people living together are close relatives, so the mammoths' inbreeding is increasing, and the genes of the next generation There are more and more problems, and the number of mammoths is getting smaller and smaller.
The third view is the hunting and killing of ancient humans. There is currently a variety of evidence that shows that the extinction of mammoths is directly related to the emergence of humans. Mammoths once evolved at the same time as human ancestors. At first, the two parties lived in peace and harmony. Later, ancient humans evolved into new humans. In the early stage, humans would use fire and work together to obtain food, so mammoths became their target. Mammoths were a good source of meat for humans at that time, and mammoth tusks could also be used to make Spears and other weapons.
The unearthing of mammoth remains is a particularly gratifying thing for paleontologists, because they can learn about the living conditions of organisms tens of thousands of years ago and the ecology and environment of the earth at that time from the animal remains.
But climatologists are very worried about this. In fact, the remains of prehistoric animals have been found in the permafrost not once or twice. As early as 1901, the remains of mammoths were found in Siberia The region has been discovered, Now as the climate warms, Arctic glaciers and permafrost are also continuing to melt. In recent years, more and more prehistoric biological remains have been discovered.
In 2019, a prehistoric wolf head appeared in the permafrost of northern Yakutia, Russia. After research, scientists found that this wolf head was probably from 140,000 years ago, but it was still very well preserved, and all the teeth were still there. The face is ferocious and makes people shudder.
In 2020, scientists discovered the remains of a cave bear on an island in Siberia. It had been frozen for about 30,000 years . All the tissues of this cave bear were still relatively intact.
Also in Siberia, scientists discovered a little lion in the permafrost. It was about 20,000 to 50,000 years old. . It was only a few months old when it died. Its facial expression was also very lifelike, like It's like falling asleep temporarily.
In 2020, a woolly rhinoceros cub was discovered in the permafrost of the Abisky District in Siberia. It lived about 20,000 years ago. The cub's remains are more than 80% complete. Its organs, including bones and even teeth, were intact. What’s even more incredible is that its last meal of food was still retained in its stomach.
In addition to the remains of prehistoric creatures listed above, scientists have also discovered the remains of ponies, bison and other creatures in the Arctic frozen soil.
Why are climate scientists so worried about this? Because these all send a signal, that is, the global climate is constantly warming, and a large number of glaciers and permafrost are melting.
And this is not only something that climatologists need to worry about, all mankind needs to be vigilant, because the climate issue is a major matter that concerns all mankind.
Glaciers and permafrost can not only store the remains of ancient creatures, can also seal many ancient microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses. Therefore, as the Arctic glaciers and permafrost continue to melt, it will not only bring more prehistoric species to be unearthed, but will also have a huge possibility of bringing unknown viruses.
These viruses all come from prehistory tens of thousands of years ago. They are much more powerful than today's viruses and are still highly contagious. The most important thing is that modern scientists know very little about them. Once these ancient viruses are resurrected and re-created If released, the impact on human beings would be very terrible.
All this is not alarmist. In 2014, a team of French virologists discovered the world's third super-large virus in the permafrost of Siberia. This virus has been sealed in the permafrost for more than 30,000 people. Year. Scientists named the virus , " Siberian wide-mouthed can virus " and . is about 1.5 microns long, and is the third super-large virus currently known to humans. Previously, scientists had discovered two very large viruses, Mimivirus and Pandoravirus, in 2003 and 2013. .
In 2015, scientists from the French National Center for Scientific Research discovered another virus in Siberia, called " Siberian software virus " , which is also a giant prehistoric virus , compared with Compared to the 9 genes in the HIV virus, this virus contains 1,200 genes. is very scary.
And once the virus invades a host, it replicates rapidly, producing about 1,000 copies before killing their host and moving on to the next.
And viruses that have been eliminated have been released from the frozen soil again to infect humans and animals. That was the anthrax incident in Siberia in 2016.
In 2016, near a village in Siberia, the body of a reindeer that had been dead for 75 years was exposed due to the melting of permafrost. This reindeer died of an anthrax infection 75 years ago. The exposure of the body caused it to remain in the body. The virus that had been frozen in the permafrost was released again, and anthrax broke out again in the area.
This time anthrax caused the death of more than ,000 reindeer, and also infected local residents. One teenage child died as a result. Fortunately, this epidemic was discovered in time, otherwise the consequences would have been disastrous.
When many people see this, they may think that these viruses are still far away from us, or that they are unlikely to break out in a short period of time. But in fact, the rate of global warming is accelerating, and there is no need to delay.
In addition to the possible release of ancient viruses, global warming also has an impact on the earth and human life in all aspects.
For example, some arctic creatures will perish, seawater will flood coastal countries and cities, and natural disasters will increase...
The rise in global temperatures is a major event concerning all mankind. Now the world must unite, and every country cannot stay out of it. Actively abide by the " Paris Agreement " and carry out international exchanges and cooperation, assume responsibilities, fulfill commitments, and jointly respond to this global challenge.
Reference:
Anonymous. Scientists discovered prehistoric giant virus. [J] Fortune World, 2014(04):77.
Author: Qiao Mu Proofreading Editor: W
In 2020, a woolly rhinoceros cub was discovered in the permafrost of the Abisky District in Siberia. It lived about 20,000 years ago. The cub's remains are more than 80% complete. Its organs, including bones and even teeth, were intact. What’s even more incredible is that its last meal of food was still retained in its stomach.
In addition to the remains of prehistoric creatures listed above, scientists have also discovered the remains of ponies, bison and other creatures in the Arctic frozen soil.
Why are climate scientists so worried about this? Because these all send a signal, that is, the global climate is constantly warming, and a large number of glaciers and permafrost are melting.
And this is not only something that climatologists need to worry about, all mankind needs to be vigilant, because the climate issue is a major matter that concerns all mankind.
Glaciers and permafrost can not only store the remains of ancient creatures, can also seal many ancient microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses. Therefore, as the Arctic glaciers and permafrost continue to melt, it will not only bring more prehistoric species to be unearthed, but will also have a huge possibility of bringing unknown viruses.
These viruses all come from prehistory tens of thousands of years ago. They are much more powerful than today's viruses and are still highly contagious. The most important thing is that modern scientists know very little about them. Once these ancient viruses are resurrected and re-created If released, the impact on human beings would be very terrible.
All this is not alarmist. In 2014, a team of French virologists discovered the world's third super-large virus in the permafrost of Siberia. This virus has been sealed in the permafrost for more than 30,000 people. Year. Scientists named the virus , " Siberian wide-mouthed can virus " and . is about 1.5 microns long, and is the third super-large virus currently known to humans. Previously, scientists had discovered two very large viruses, Mimivirus and Pandoravirus, in 2003 and 2013. .
In 2015, scientists from the French National Center for Scientific Research discovered another virus in Siberia, called " Siberian software virus " , which is also a giant prehistoric virus , compared with Compared to the 9 genes in the HIV virus, this virus contains 1,200 genes. is very scary.
And once the virus invades a host, it replicates rapidly, producing about 1,000 copies before killing their host and moving on to the next.
And viruses that have been eliminated have been released from the frozen soil again to infect humans and animals. That was the anthrax incident in Siberia in 2016.
In 2016, near a village in Siberia, the body of a reindeer that had been dead for 75 years was exposed due to the melting of permafrost. This reindeer died of an anthrax infection 75 years ago. The exposure of the body caused it to remain in the body. The virus that had been frozen in the permafrost was released again, and anthrax broke out again in the area.
This time anthrax caused the death of more than ,000 reindeer, and also infected local residents. One teenage child died as a result. Fortunately, this epidemic was discovered in time, otherwise the consequences would have been disastrous.
When many people see this, they may think that these viruses are still far away from us, or that they are unlikely to break out in a short period of time. But in fact, the rate of global warming is accelerating, and there is no need to delay.
In addition to the possible release of ancient viruses, global warming also has an impact on the earth and human life in all aspects.
For example, some arctic creatures will perish, seawater will flood coastal countries and cities, and natural disasters will increase...
The rise in global temperatures is a major event concerning all mankind. Now the world must unite, and every country cannot stay out of it. Actively abide by the " Paris Agreement " and carry out international exchanges and cooperation, assume responsibilities, fulfill commitments, and jointly respond to this global challenge.
Reference:
Anonymous. Scientists discovered prehistoric giant virus. [J] Fortune World, 2014(04):77.
Author: Qiao Mu Proofreading Editor: W
