American university laboratory has developed a new variant of new coronavirus with a high mortality rate? According to media reports, researchers at Boston University have developed a new coronavirus strain. After a series of similar experiments, the killing rate of the strain reached 80%. The new variant is a combination of Omicron and the original virus, killing 80% of the mice infected with it in the experiment. When mice are exposed to Omicron only, they experience mild symptoms. The researchers created a hybrid of the coronavirus by fusing specific parts of the omicron variant, called the "spike protein" and the original strain. They then recorded the mice's response to the hybrid strain. They said in a research paper that although Omicron causes mild infection in the mice in the experiment, the virus carrying Omicron S causes serious disease, causing 80% mortality in mice.
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Researchers also said that the infectious viral particles of this new strain are five times that of the Omicron variant. However, the researchers also said that the mice used in these experiments were specially cultivated for COVID experiments, and their mortality rate does not directly reflect the risk of mixed viruses to humans. Although the researchers found that hybrid virus killed more laboratory mice than the omicron variant, it was relatively worse than the original virus. According to the study, Omicron did not kill any mice, while 80% died from hybrid strains and 100% died from the original virus. However, this artificially combined virus also made many people worry. After all, if this artificially synthesized virus really leaks, the consequences may be very serious. , however, is that scientists have discovered that as global climate warms , ancient viruses present in the arctic permafrost may be unsealed to cause a more serious pandemic disease.
Permafrost refers to a place that is at or below 0 degrees Celsius for two or more years in a row. Since the Arctic region heats twice as fast as the rest of the world, this can lead to catastrophic consequences. Permafrost contains a large amount of biomass and decomposed biomass, which are stored in the form of methane and carbon dioxide , making tundra soil a carbon sink. As climate change increases the average annual temperatures throughout the Arctic, it expands the melting of the permafrost and deepens the active layer, exposing old carbon, which has been stored for decades to thousands of years, to biological processes that help it enter the atmosphere.
Generally speaking, for every 1 °C increase worldwide, the volume of permafrost at 3m above the surface is expected to decrease by about 25%. It is almost certain that the range and volume of permafrost will continue to shrink as global climate warms. Permafrost covers 24% of the land surface of the Northern Hemisphere, accounting for nearly half of all organic carbon stored in Earth's soil. As long as this organic matter remains frozen, it will be trapped in permafrost. However, if it thaws, it will cause carbon dioxide and methane to be released into the atmosphere. Even if a small portion of these greenhouse gases are released, it can have a significant impact on the Arctic and the entire Earth's climate system, as they will exacerbate global climate change. Permafrost temperatures rise much faster than Arctic air temperatures. For every 3 degrees Celsius increase global temperatures, 30% to 85% of the top permafrost in the Arctic may melt.
In addition, when the permafrost melts, the ancient bacteria and viruses in the ice and soil melt. These microorganisms may make humans and animals very ill. What is happening is that there may be many well-preserved animals in the frozen soil or ice, such as mammoth , which are covered by melted ice. If these animals are infected with viruses and bacteria, they can spread them to other animals and people. What's worse is that the ancient viruses present in permafrost are not exposed to by humans before, and we are not very resistant to this ancient virus. There are even some ancient viruses that may be unknown to humans, and such results may be very fatal.
Scientists have found that the likelihood of an event as glacier melts and spills increases, because melt water can transport pathogens to new hosts. As temperatures rise, ice melts and flows to new locations, the killer virus that has been frozen in glaciers for hundreds of years may wake up again. Viruses need hosts like humans, animals, plants, or fungi to replicate and spread, and sometimes they jump to a new host that lacks immunity. Experts warn that warming could bring Arctic viruses into contact with new environments and hosts, increasing the risk of such “viral spillover.” In 2016, a 12-year-old boy was infected with Siberia area for more than 70 years without anthrax deaths, about 100 people were infected with anthrax poisoning, and more than 2,000 reindeer were infected.
Virus found in Siberia
And the ancient virus that has been sealed for a long time is still contagious after being unblocked. Two viruses were found in the permafrost of Siberia: Pithovirus sibericum and Mollivirus sibericum. Both viruses have a history of about 30,000 years and are considered megacities. Because they are larger than most bacteria, their genome is larger than other viruses. Both viruses are still contagious, as can be seen from their ability to infect Aconite Aconite.
In short, for viruses present in the laboratory, people can also protect against virus leakage. But for ancient viruses sealed in frozen soil or glaciers, they may be unsealed by global warming . Therefore, for the sake of human life and health, we should also actively protect the environment. The above is what we have today. I am Huo Zongjun, see you next time.
