(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences made a statement regarding the fact that those glaciers that are located in the Tibetan Plateau have begun to melt.
If the process continues further, then in this case, new types of bacteria that are very dangerous for humanity may be released.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that scientists have discovered to date about a thousand different microorganisms, most of which remain unknown.
The climate is changing very quickly and this time the Tibetan Plateau is under threat. Experts are very afraid that potentially dangerous pathogens may soon begin to spread.
Previously, experts collected snow, ice, and other samples from 21 Tibetan glaciers during 2016-2020. In total, they managed to find 968 bacteria. 82% of microorganisms remain unknown to science.
Scientists were sure that the conditions in this region are so extreme that there simply cannot be such a large number of microorganisms.
The latest study showed that they were wrong. Last year, experts described viruses that are 15,000 years old and have never been seen before.
10% of the surface of our planet is covered with glaciers. Ice sheets contain the most fresh water. There are several reasons why it is worth studying them in detail. Scientists fear melting glaciers will expose the world to pathogens it won’t know how to deal with.
The Tibetan Plateau is considered the “water tower of Asia”. There are the largest rivers in the world, around which there are densely populated areas. If unknown microorganisms get there, it can turn into a disaster for the whole world.
Of course, these warnings are still preliminary, but already now it is important to assess the risks to human health.
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