French virologist Jean-Michel Claverie, top center, has spent over a decade studying viruses, including ones nearly 50,000 years old found deep within layers of Siberian permafrost.
Photo illustration: 731. Photographer: Jeremy Suyker & Jean-Michel Claverie
Zombie Viruses Are Waking Up After 50,000 Years as Planet Warms
A French virologist’s discoveries are raising fears that thawing Siberian permafrost could bring ancient outbreaks back to life.
A fortnight camping on the mosquito-ridden, muddy banks of the Kolyma River in Russia may not sound like the most glamorous of work trips. But it’s a sacrifice virologist Jean-Michel Claverie was willing to make to uncover the truth about zombie viruses — yet another risk that climate change poses to public health.
His discoveries shine a light on a grim reality of global warming as it thaws ground that had been frozen for millenniums. Claverie, 73, has spent over a decade studying “giant” viruses, including ones nearly 50,000 years old found deep within layers of Siberian permafrost.