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BEIJING: Scientists recently discovered a 30,000 year-old giant virus deep in the Siberian permafrost.
Found in a soil sample from about 98 feet (30 meters) below the surface, the virus is about 1.5 micrometers long. It is named by scientists as Mollivirus sibericum, the fourth type of prehistoric virus found since 2003.
According to the study published in the recent journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the virus infects single-celled amoebas, although it poses no danger to humans.
The viruses are potentially infectious if thawed from their Siberian deep freeze, said Chantal Abergel, co-author of the study, a scientist at the National Center for Scientific Research at Aix-Marseille University in France.
As the globe warms and the region thaws, mining and drilling will likely penetrate previously inaccessible areas, Abergel said, adding that further study of the viruses is needed to help clarify the risk.
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