Revenge of Arctic’s Viruses

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling

“The list of diseases caused by viruses reads like a catalog of human misery” wrote science journalist Robert Adler, adding “The scientists who deciphered the secrets of viruses were literally groping in the dark, trying to understand something they could not see.”(1) Indeed, and though scientists for centuries assumed viruses existed, it was not until 1931 that ghostlike viruses were finally discovered and could be seen via the electron microscope.

But as if it was difficult enough to finally observe and prove and catalog the many viruses found throughout the world, now, thanks to human-induced global warming and the thawing of Arctic ice sheets, two new viruses have been revealed. They are, however, not that new. In fact, they are prehistoric super viruses that can “come back to life” after lying dormant for at least 30,000 years in permafrost.(2)

Two prehistoric pathogens (Pithovirus and Mollivirus sibericum), isolated and frozen for millennia in Arctic ice, recently came to life when American and French scientists infected them into single cell amoebas. Although the two ancient viruses – which retained their infectivity in prehistorically permafrost layers – should be a major concern in a context of rapid industrialized global warming, including international trade, it appears that for now humans are immune from them.

Humanity’s fortune, though, may be short lived as more of the Arctic’s regions are opened to drilling and mining for the purpose of extracting fossil fuels. The exact same fossil fuels, that is, which cause the Earth’s surface and its oceans to warm and rapid glacial melting. The percussions of environmental diffusion unleashing unknown giant viruses should, to say the least, halt exploitation.

To be certain, global warming has already caused extreme weather (heat waves, drought, heavy rain), decreased crop yields, changed migratory patterns of animals, decreased biodiversity and caused the extinction of plant and animal species. With the discovery of two new infectious pathogens, so large that they can be seen under a microscope, what other contagions lie buried in the Arctic?

Moreover, is humankind hastening its own demise? If deadly pathogens harmful to humans are discovered, for example, what assurances exist that they will not be weaponized by certain nations or rogue groups? Sadly, biological warfare has been conducted for millennia. From ancient Assyrians to modern city-states, including terrorist organizations, the possibilities of a successful biological attack could far exceed those of chemical or even a nuclear event.

Other scenarios about unchaining prehistoric viruses and disaster capitalism are governments using them for population control or pharmaceutical companies profiting from them. If it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, neither is it wise to tamper with it. The Arctic is no exception. In fact, unfettered capitalism and its costly price of fossil fuels might turn the Land of the Midnight Sun into the Land of the Deadly Viruses, specifically since scientists believe ancient viruses are not that rare and highly diversified.

At the same time, scientists are concerned over prehistoric viral mutations and their abilities to adapt. As for the Arctic, it is both a cautionary and conservative force, signaling rising pollutants and environmental degradation while protecting indigenous cultures and vital plant and animal species. In effect, the Arctic continuum will avenge human and industrial overdevelopment. It will also remind humanity of their limited choices and finiteness.

As the Arctic permafrost continues to melt, then, it is only a matter of time before more prehistoric pathogens are unearthed – giant super ones that attack and destroy their human host. More modern pathogens, like the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic which infected 500 million people worldwide and claimed up to 100 million lives, or the Bubonic plague that killed 75 million people, might pale in comparison to the enormous disruptions caused by giant prehistoric viruses. After writing how scientists were literally groping in the dark and trying to understand something they could not see (viruses), Adler also wrote, “…and, for many years, could not even imagine.” Will the Arctic’s revenge go viral? In the end, geography and nature usually have ways of determining outcomes and punishing those that try and disturb its inter-being or destroy its vital ecosystems.

Dallas Darling (darling@wn.com)

(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John’s Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas’ writings at www.beverlydarling.com and wn.com//dallasdarling.)

(1) Pickover, Clifford A. The Medical Book: From Witch Doctors to Robot Surgeons, 250 Milestones in the History of Medicine. New York, New York: Sterling Publishers, 2012., p. 244.

(2) www.sciencedaily.com. “New Giant Virus Discovered in Siberia’s Permafrost.” September 9, 2015.