Throughout the years, temperatures have risen in the Arctic and have left the Arctics permafrost melting and releasing new viruses and bacteria all around us. Climate change has a big impact on this and is affecting our day to day more and more as  the permafrost melts away. “As climate change accelerates the melting of ice in the Arctic, carbon dioxide emissions, habitat loss and rising sea levels aren’t the only threats humans face” says Margaret Osborne, December, 2nd, 2022 Smithsonianmag.com. With these constant rising temperatures old viruses that have been frozen for centuries can reappear just like that.

A zombie virus that has been frozen for 48,500 years is called the Pandoravirus and because of the length it has been frozen and then revived it has now set the world record for that. This zombie virus was found in the frozen Siberian permafrost, by Jean Michel Claverie. “To better understand the risks posed by frozen viruses, Jean-Michel Claverie, an Emeritus professor of medicine and genomics at the Aix-Marseille University School of Medicine in Marseille, France, has tested earth samples taken from Siberian permafrost to see whether any viral particles contained therein are still infectious” says Katie Hunt, March, 8th, 2023 CNN.com. The Pandoravirus is a genus of a giant virus that affects amoebas which are just single celled eukaryotes. Jean Michel Claverie has tested this on single celled amoebas and not animals and humans for humanity’s sake. 

Claverie and his team throughout Siberia have led many experiments for the search of this zombie like virus and they have found some. “According to the study, the latest strains belonged to five virus families – pandoravirus, cedratvirus, megavirus and pacmanvirus, and the new pithovirus strain – in addition to the two he had revived earlier.” says Natalie Neysa Alund, March, 9th, 2023 USAToday.com. Though as of right now the Pandoravirus does not affect humans due to safety precautions. If there ever is an outbreak of this virus through mammals now you know how it started and where it came from.