MARSEILLE, FRANCE — Scientists warn that climate change is melting permafrost soils which may lead to the release of ancient viruses and bacterium. <br /> <br />Permafrost is permanently frozen soil. It is a good preserver for microbes and viruses because of low temperatures and lack of oxygen. <br /> <br />As the temperature in the Arctic Circle rises, the permafrost melts, which may lead to the release of viruses. Layers of permafrost could also be exposed by mining and drilling operations. <br /> <br />“If the pathogen hasn't been in contact with humans for a long time, then our immune system would not be prepared. So yes, that could be dangerous,” Jean-Michel Claverie, evolutionary biologist at Aix-Marseille University in France told the Independent. <br /> <br />According to the BBC, bacterium that can form spores can survive longer than other bacterium in permafrost. This includes anthrax, tetanus and Clostridium botulinum, the pathogen responsible for botulism.
