Health
‘Arctic zombie viruses’ could be released by climate change from thawing permafrost, some scientists claim
Some scientists are warning of the potential for “Arctic zombie viruses” in Siberia, according to reports.
The claim is that as climate change causes the Arctic permafrost to thaw, it will release ancient viruses that could put people at risk of disease.
National Geographic defines “permafrost” as “a permanently frozen layer below Earth’s surface [that] consists of soil, gravel and sand, usually bound together by ice.”
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Jean-Michel Claverie, PhD, a geneticist and an emeritus professor at the School of Medicine of Aix-Marseille University in the South of France, has conducted extensive research on Arctic zombie viruses, also referred to as “Methuselah microbes.”
In 2015, a research team unearthed several viruses from the permafrost, which were estimated to be 30,000 years old, as Claverie wrote in an article published by Think Global Health on Jan. 18.
Husband and wife virologists Jean-Michel Claverie, left, and Chantal Abergel are pictured in a laboratory at the Information Gnomic and Structural Center (IGS) of Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, on Sept. 25, 2023. (Getty Images)
“It is now clear that a significant proportion of prehistorical viruses can remain infectious for even longer periods of time,” Claverie wrote.
After being stable for the last 400,000 years, the Siberian permafrost could become “threatened” due to global warming, according to the researcher.
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Thawing “increases the release and revival of permafrost microbes, including ancient ones from the late Pleistocene (i.e., the last 100,000 years),” Claverie wrote.
“Our species — hence, our immune system — has never been in contact with most of those microbes during its evolution.”
Permafrost, seen at the top of the cliff, melts into the Kolyma River, Siberia, Russia on July 6, 2019. The permafrost, some of which is tens of thousands of years old, is melting at a rapid rate and uncovering prehistoric bones and animals. (Getty Images)
Previous research has identified many different types of bacteria in permafrost that are linked to some common human pathogens, according to Claverie.
Those have included Acinetobacter, Bacillus anthracis, Brucella, Campylobacter, Clostridia, Mycoplasma, various Enterobacteria, Mycobacteria, Streptococci, Staphylococci and Rickettsia.
“Our species — hence, our immune system — has never been in contact with most of those microbes.”
While Claverie said we can “reasonably believe” that modern antibiotics could control many of these older pathogenic bacterium, he also said the situation would be “much more disastrous” in the case of an “ancient or unknown virus” being released from permafrost and causing animal or human diseases.
A member of the research team displays a visual on his phone in a laboratory at the Information Gnomic and Structural Center (IGS) of Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, on Sept. 25, 2023. (Getty Images)
“As unfortunately well-demonstrated by the most recent pandemics (for example, COVID and AIDS), each new virus, even related to previously known families, requires the development of highly specific medical responses, such as new antivirals and vaccines,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Claverie requesting additional comment.
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Marion Koopmans, PhD, head of the Erasmus MC Department of Viroscience in the Netherlands, confirmed that there is documentation of hidden viruses that can still infect bacteria and unicellular organisms.
“That means the potential is there,” she told Fox News Digital via email. “You then would have to assume that viruses that may be able to infect humans or wild animals also could be present and at some point be released.”
Koopsmans added, “Given that, I think it is wise to think through where risk of exposure could be highest and monitor for health effects in those places.”
Virologist Jean-Michel Claverie is pictured at the Information Gnomic and Structural department of Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, on Sept. 25, 2023. (Getty Images)
Edward Liu, M.D., chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, acknowledged that permafrost viruses are a “valid concern, if long-disappeared viruses start circulating in a naive population.”
He also told Fox News Digital, “But so are zoonotic viruses (animal viruses), which spread to the human population when people and animals come into contact due to demand for wet markets, which was a possible source of COVID-19 in China.”
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Other potential sources include bush meat (African markets that allow exposure to animal viruses) or just human civilization pushing into wildlife areas, Liu added.
“In each case, a virus enters a naive population, so we have no herd immunity to slow it down,” he said.
To reduce the risk, Liu called for “cooperative internal research” into animal viruses and possibly permafrost viruses.
Other potential sources of novel viruses include wet markets, an expert noted. (iStock)
“When a new virus hits, scientists can then sequence the genetic material,” he said.
“MRNA vaccine technology is much faster at creating new vaccines than older technologies, which involved growing viruses and inactivating them,” Liu went on. “So we can make an effective vaccine in weeks rather than years.”
“In each case, a virus enters a naive population, so we have no herd immunity to slow it down.”
Liu also said we need systems that pick up new outbreaks faster — “so we can send experts to determine their cause before it spreads into an epidemic.”
He added, “Nations have to agree to allow access during outbreaks and avoid political interference.”
Husband and wife virologists Jean-Michel Claverie, right, and Chantal Abergel work on an X-ray diffraction device used to determine the 3D structure of viral proteins in a lab at the Information Gnomic and Structural Center (IGS) of Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, Sept. 25, 2023. (Getty Images)
Dr. Christian Sandrock, who specializes in emerging infectious diseases at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, also weighed in on the potential risk of frozen viruses.
“As climate change and other human-related issues occur, we are always exposed to new things,” he told Fox News Digital. “This has been happening for a long time. The real issue arises if these microbes can then become transmissible to humans and cause sustained transmission afterward that can lead to a pandemic.”
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“Right now, we are just discovering what is there,” he added.
“We need it to have sustained transmission for it to be really concerning.”
One expert called for “cooperative internal research” into animal viruses and possibly permafrost viruses. (iStock)
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, noted that while it’s possible that there are viruses in the melting permafrost that could cause sickness, there would likely need to be “several steps” that occur before they would spark a pandemic.
“They would likely have to go through many changes to adapt to or spread among modern hosts,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Much more concerning is the close contact with animals and humans in Asia, which can and does lead to zoonotic spillover to humans,” said Siegel.
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Small fragments of plastic were found in the tumors of most prostate cancer patients, according to a new study from NYU Langone Health.
In past studies, microplastics have been found in almost every human organ and in bodily fluids, but their impact on human health still isn’t fully understood.
The researchers analyzed tissue samples from 10 patients with prostate cancer who underwent surgery to remove the entire organ.
Using visuals of both benign samples and tumor samples, as well as specialized equipment, the scientists identified plastic particles in 90% of the tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples, according to the study press release.
In past studies, microplastics were found in almost every single human organ along with bodily fluids, even the placenta. (iStock)
The cancerous tissue contained on average more than double the amount of plastic as healthy prostate tissue samples, the study found. This equates to about 40 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue compared to 16 micrograms.
Researchers avoided contaminating the samples with other plastics by substituting standard tools with those made of aluminum, cotton and other non-plastic material, the release noted.
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The scientists say this is the first direct evidence linking microplastics to prostate cancer.
“By uncovering yet another potential health concern posed by plastic, our findings highlight the need for stricter regulatory measures to limit the public’s exposure to these substances, which are everywhere in the environment,” said senior study author Vittorio Albergamo, assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, in the release.
Using visuals of both benign samples and tumor samples, as well as specialized equipment, the scientists identified plastic particles in 90% of the tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples. (iStock)
The study findings were presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco on Feb. 26.
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“What is most striking is not that microplastics were detected, but that they were found embedded within tumor tissue itself,” Dr. David Sidransky, oncologist and medical advisor at SpotitEarly, a startup that offers an at-home breath-based test to detect early-stage cancer, told Fox News Digital.
“While complete avoidance is unrealistic, people can take practical steps to reduce exposure.”
“We already know microplastics are present in water, air, blood and even placental tissue. Their detection in prostate tumors suggests systemic distribution and long-term bioaccumulation,” added Maryland-based Sidransky, who was not involved in the study.
Study limitations
Albergamo cautioned that a larger sample is needed to confirm the findings. Additionally, Sidransky noted that the presence of microplastics alone does not prove they cause cancer.
“Tumors can act as ‘biologic sinks,’ meaning they may accumulate circulating particles simply because of altered vasculature and permeability,” he said.
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A key unanswered question, according to the doctor, is whether microplastics are biologically active in ways that “promote DNA damage, immune modulation or chronic inflammation within the prostate.”
About one in eight men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The most actionable step men can take is appropriate screening and early detection, according to doctors. (iStock)
For those concerned about microplastics, Sidransky offered some insights.
“I believe the appropriate response is curiosity, not panic, and a commitment to understand more,” he said.
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“While complete avoidance is unrealistic, people can take practical steps to reduce exposure, such as minimizing heating food in plastic containers, reducing bottled water consumption when possible, and favoring glass or stainless steel alternatives.”
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The most actionable step men can take, however, is getting appropriate screenings to help ensure early detection, according to the doctor. Screening discussions should be individualized based on age, family history and other risk factors.
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There has been a shake-up in the Make America Healthy Again movement regarding glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that has been the subject of significant controversy.
The debate follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense.
MAHA supporters have previously pushed a pesticide-free agenda, warning of potential health harms caused by glyphosate.
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he believes there is sufficient evidence linking glyphosate to neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, to warrant limiting exposure.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
“With Parkinson’s, this association appears to be due to the gut, vagus nerve and brain axis, where the exposure affects the microbiome in the gut, which then ascends slowly up to the brain, causing the neurodegenerative disease years later,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
“There is also a growing association being found between high-dose glyphosate or occupational exposure and metabolic disorders, liver disease and some cancers, specifically lymphoma.”
He added, “Growing research backs this. I favor limiting it.”
“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk.”
Studies have shown that glyphosate, which is used in products such as Roundup, owned by Monsanto, could raise cancer risk.
In one University of Washington study published in the journal Mutation Research, researchers found that exposure to it increased the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41%.
The nonprofit Investigate Midwest, which analyzed data from both the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Cancer Institute, also recently found that pesticides may contribute to cancer rates.
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Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to the report.
Investigate Midwest, which is based in Illinois, interviewed more than 100 farmers, environmentalists, lawmakers and scientists as part of a partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. Fellowship.
Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to one study. (iStock)
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate.
Bill Billings, a resident of Red Oak, Iowa, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.
“The cancer specialist said, very directly, (my) cancer is a result of being exposed to chemicals,” Billings said in the report.
Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts and owner of the Instagram account @glyphosategirl, told Fox News Digital her journey researching the herbicide began with her own health struggles.
Ryerson, who is based in California, previously struggled with chronic illness and autoimmune issues, which she said improved when she stopped eating gluten.
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate. (iStock)
After attending a medical conference at Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center, Ryerson began to question modern farming practices rather than the gluten itself.
“A lot of times, farmers are spraying Roundup on our grains right before harvest to facilitate an easier harvest,” she said. “After that easier harvest, because everything’s dry at the same time, those crops go directly to the mill and may end up in our food supply, at alarmingly high levels.”
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In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization framework, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The classification was based on limited evidence of cancer in humans (notably non-Hodgkin lymphoma in some studies) and sufficient evidence in experimental animals.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” a Monsanto spokesperson said. (Wolf von Dewitz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Monsanto told Fox News Digital it will comply with Trump’s order to produce glyphosate and elemental phosphorus.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” the spokesperson said.
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of Roundup, working with his legal team in 2018 to award $289 million to a man who alleged the weed killer caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to reports.
Following backlash to Trump’s executive order, Kennedy said he supports the order but acknowledged that “pesticides and herbicides are toxic by design, engineered to kill living organisms.”
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“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk,” he posted on X. “Chemical manufacturers have paid tens of billions of dollars to settle cancer claims linked to their products, and many agricultural communities report elevated cancer rates and chronic disease.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
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