An American novelist, Dean Koontz is a best-selling author. He writes under several pseudonyms. His novel 'The Eyes of Darkness' was published in 1981 under the name of Leigh Nicholas. One aspect of this suspense-paranormal novel shocked everyone years later. This refers to bioweapons. A bioweapon called 'Gorky-400' is developed after the city of Gorky in the Soviet Union, but over time its formula goes to China. In 1989 it got a new name 'Wuhan-400.' In 2020, many felt that 2019 Corona Virus was predicted by Kuntz in 'The Eyes of Darkness' and we are all witnesses of how the world was affected by the Covid spread by Corona Virus. In the past, the viruses of Marburg, Ebola, Rabies, HIV, Smallpox, Hanta, Influenza, Dengue, Rota, Sars-Cov, Sars-Cov-2 and MERS-Cov have caused great pain to mankind and have driven thousands of millions to the well of death. . The corona virus has proved that the strength of the virus that is not visible to the naked eye is terrifying, but has humanity learned anything from that pandemic? Unfortunately no. We are often reminded that tampering with nature is too heavy, but like the jailer in 'Sholay' we sing the same tune: Hum nahi sudharenge. Call it curiosity, we have discovered viruses that were lying extinct or inactive deep in the earth. If this is studied, an antidote is found, it may be considered welcome, but if it falls into the wrong hands? What if a human with one stomach and many stomachs reintroduces a centuries-old virus and becomes Covid-19? Many consider Covid as a fury of nature. This calamity has made it clear that our money, position, power, wealth or heaps of wealth are not worth more than dust. In August 2024, there was news that scientists had discovered very old genomes (virus genomes) in Tibet. A team of American and Chinese scientists discovered the genome of a virus never before seen in science from Gulia Glacier in Tibet. With this the list of ancient viruses has been extended. It is also very important. According to the research paper titled 'A Decade Long Journey into Glacier – Archived Ancient Viruses and Their Paleoclimatology', after years of effort, 1700 genomes have been found from beneath the surface of the ice. According to scientists, this virus is very different in cold and hot season. Some of these viruses even appeared during the Ice Age as early as 11,500 years ago. This suggests a significant link between viruses and climate change. Lonnie Thompson of the Ohio State University and co-author of the paper Ziping Zhong's colleague and American Lonnie Thompson adds that without the discovery of this virus, it would not have been possible to answer fundamental questions about climate. A term emerged in this context: paleoclimatology. Simply put, the branch of science concerned with the climate prevailing at a particular time in the geological past. The Gulia Glacier, where the genealogies of this species were found, is located at an altitude of 20,000 feet. With this it has been declared that the genomes of viruses excavated from prehistoric pieces of ice or rock are mostly not dangerous to the health of mankind, but one thing should not be forgotten that despite the drastic changes in the Earth's climate, these viruses in the ice have not been completely destroyed. Hence, with the melting of ice, this pest can adapt to the prevailing climate and survive. We can understand the unimaginable danger inherent in this possibility. The news that came in March 2023 may seem more scary at first glance. Thousands of years old viable microbes were discovered in Siberia. Viable microbes are living organisms that can reproduce and perform normal functions even in a favorable climate. A news story on the matter was titled: Can 'zombie' virus from Siberia infect humans? Remember 'Zombie' right? In Hollywood, zombie movies are being made at regular intervals for horror lovers. A 'zombie' refers to a magically reanimated dead body or a person who is semi-alive, but has no sentience and is only passively interested in the events around them. And what is a 'zombie virus'? In fact, there is nothing but permafrost, i.e., an ancient virus emerging from the permanently frozen layer of soil-ice below the earth's surface in the polar region that can be dangerous to mankind. Some of the viruses found in the permafrost of Siberia are 48,500 years old. Scientists have been busy developing methods to detect disease caused by these ancient viruses. This will necessitate drug-treatment in addition to quarantine-isolation for patients who fall ill. Also, scientists are still in the dark about how the modern human immune system would respond to such a virus. Incomplete melting of the glaciers will open up new sea lanes through which passengers and crew on ships can come in contact with and spread the virus. Now these are not just possibilities and possibilities. The first case of zombie disease in a deer has been reported in an American park. Scientists have warned in clear terms that mankind is at risk of a strange epidemic. Viruses that have survived in frozen snow for thousands of years can cause deadly epidemics due to climate warming. Of course, scientists will be alert and active about this, but the government and politicians? If even 25 percent of the expenditure on arms and military is spent on research on human health, can't many problems be avoided? Can't thousands of innocent lives be saved?
Online-offline diagnosis is half the cure. – Thomas Fuller (British historian and clergyman)
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
