News > New study warns against risks of ‘time-travelling pathogens’
New study warns against risks of ‘time-travelling pathogens’
19/08/2023 11:57 AM | Click to read full article
As the climate warms, scientists have suggested that “time-travelling pathogens” unleashed by thawing Arctic permafrost may pose a risk to modern ecosystems. Through tens of thousands of iterations, the study team tracked how the virus affected the species diversity of a bacterial community. About 1% of the pathogen either increased diversity by up to 12% or decreased species diversity by 32%. The viral invaders not only survived but evolved over time, throwing the system off-balance.
