Permafrost: Melting Ice, Sinkholes, and Climate Change

French scientists discovered a 30,000-year-old giant virus known as Pithovirus sibericum buried deep within the Siberian permafrost. Unlike typical viruses, this one was large enough to be seen under a standard microscope and had survived frozen in the ice since the time of Neanderthals. When the researchers thawed it out in 2014, the virus immediately woke up and began infecting amoebas, proving that ancient pathogens can remain infectious for millennia and could potentially re-emerge as the gl

Understanding Permafrost and Its Global Importance