Nick Saluti

3/5/14

Earth Science 10

Zimmer, Carl. "Out of Siberian Ice, a Virus Revived." The New York Times 4 Mar. 2014: n. pag. The New

     York Times. 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.

           

The tundra found in Siberia can harbor ancient life forms. The extreme cold and the abundance of ice, snow, and permafrost allow ancient creatures to be preserved at a near flawless condition for thousands of years. A good example of this occurred in 2012, when Russian scientists found a 32,000 year old seed frozen in permafrost. The scientists then planted the seed and the plant sprouted into a flower. This is a good example of permafrost preserving a life form; however, a more recent discovery by a team of French and Russian scientists has found a much more revolutionary specimen. The team of scientists reportedly recovered samples of a 30,000 year old virus that is completely new to science. Even more astounding, is the fact that the scientists managed to cultivate the virus for testing. The discovered virus poses no threat to humans, as it only infects amoebae. However, the possibility that a more dangerous virus may be lurking in the permafrost is unnerving. This could be especially devastating, as humans would have no natural resistance to an ancient virus. The team that discovered the ancient virus was led by Chantal Abergel and Jean- Michel Claverie. They are a wife and husband team of virus hunters; they specialize in discovering new so called “Giant Viruses.” When the virus was introduced to an amoeba, the scientists found that the amoebas began to die off.  After taking a closer look, they found that the virus was reproducing inside the amoebas. In addition to their unique behavior, they are also twenty five percent larger than any previously known virus. The virus is an average of 1.5 micrometers long. Due to their narrow and long shape, they have been named the pithovirus, which refers to the similar style of Greek pottery. According to Doctor Abergal, 60% of the genes in the pithovirus do not match anything on planet Earth.

            This is an extremely revolutionary discovery. Thanks to the preserving power of the permafrost, scientists can now take a glimpse into what life forms existed 30,000 years ago. Further testing on this virus will help give us a greater understanding of ancient life forms. This find also hints to the fact that many other life forms could be discovered in the permafrost. More discoveries like this could help scientists find evolutionary links between modern species, and provide a greater understanding of the timeline of life. These viruses also tell us some clues about what Siberia may have been like 30,000 years ago. The fact that the pithovirus is adapted to reproduce inside of amoebas suggests that there was a large amount of water in the area. This would provide a place for the virus to search for amoebas between reproductive cycles. Perhaps the virus had some sort of unicellular predator, and it hid inside other amoebae for shelter. Overall, this discovery of the pithovirus will allow us to learn more about life in the distant past.

            Currently the team of researchers is trying to make sure that their sample of pithovirus, which was taken from permafrost, is not contaminated with newer viruses. Directly, this does not invalidate any points in the article, however, if they find that their samples were contaminated, then all of their research will have been in vain. One thing that really improved the experience of reading the article was the amount of quotes from the individual researchers. It did not feel like a reporter talking about another person’s research, it felt more akin to an interview. This helped the writer to get his point across more effectively. A couple of things were missing from the article that would have made it more informative; despite them telling the reader that the pithovirus is now the largest virus ever seen, they do not show a picture comparing size. This would have helped to reinforce its status as a giant virus. Another point that would have helped the article is if the scientists stated what types of viruses may have descended from the pithovirus. This would have provided a link to modern society, and would have made the article feel more relevant to the reader. 

a picture of the newly discovered pithovirus inside an amoeba