Scientists have discovered an ancient virus locked in the 30,000-year-old permafrost of Russia鈥檚 Chukotka region, 听reported Wednesday. The virus, named Mollivirus sibericum (鈥渟oft virus from Siberia鈥), is the fourth ancient giant virus听discovered in the past 12 years听and the second found in the Chukotka region.听
A describes the new virus as spherical, with a diameter of about 0.6 microns. A giant virus measures 0.5 microns (equivalent to 0.0005 millimeters) or more, making it larger than most bacteria and big enough to be seen with a regular microscope, according to Alaska Dispatch News.
鈥淭he fact that two different viruses retain their infectivity in prehistorical permafrost layers should be of concern in a context of global warming,鈥 says the study abstract.听
The previous virus found in Chukotka, , is the largest ever found, measuring in at听1.5 microns (0.0015 millimeters). Scientists were able to stimulate that virus and discovered that it can infect amoebas听but not humans.