But, after thawing the virus out of the ice, the scientists discovered that it hadn't lost its touch after its 30,000-year nap.
In fact, soon after the virus was thawed, it infected countless single-cell organisms.
Now, just imagine if the thawing of Pithovirus sibericum hadn't happened in a controlled laboratory, but instead happened in the wilderness of Siberia.
There's a good chance that single-cell organisms wouldn't be the only things it would be infecting.
And, as the researchers point out and as we just saw with Ebola, ancient or deeply hidden viruses that were once common to one particular area or one particular host can easily adapt to new environments.
Brooks said that, "Even though a parasite might have a very specialized relationship with one particular host in one particular place, there are other hosts that may be as susceptible. West Nile Virus is a good example - no longer an acute problem for humans or wildlife in North America, it nonetheless is here to stay."
Climate change and global warming are here to stay, but we have the power to lessen their impacts on our planet.
More importantly, in this case, we have the power -- through radically reducing our use of fossil fuels and amping up our use of sun, wind, and other renewable power forms -- to prevent future global-warming-driven outbreaks of infectious diseases that could claim the lives of millions and millions of people across the globe.
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