Quote:Deep within the Siberian permafrost, nearly 100 feet underneath the frozen ground, it sat dormant, for centuries and centuries.

Sounds like the trailer for the next Godzilla movie.

Will it attack Tokyo?

#whatcouldpossiblygowrong

What I found to be the frightening takeaway from the article:

Quote:But even though this particular virus poses no human health threat, its discovery raises unsettling questions. "[This] is a good demonstration that the notion that a virus could be 'eradicated' from the planet is plain wrong, and give us a false sense of security," Claverie says. As the Arctic and subarctic warm, "mining and drilling mean bringing human settlements and digging through these ancient layers for the first time in millions of years. If viable virions are still there, this is a good recipe for disaster."

The BBC article where I initially read the story mentions ancient strains of smallpox as a possible danger.

But that article doesn't say exactly how big this virus is supposed to be.

(March 5, 2014 at 4:48 pm)eyemixer Wrote: The BBC article where I initially read the story mentions ancient strains of smallpox as a possible danger.

Awesome. Smallpox is my favourite.

(March 5, 2014 at 4:29 pm)StuW Wrote: #whatcouldpossiblygowrong

This is going to make a great real-life movie. Scientists have been working on self-replicating robots. In the meantime other guys are going around the world resurrecting ancient viruses and bacteria. The self-replicating robots come on line just before the ancient viruses and bacteria wipe out humanity. Humanity's descendants will be robots. And they will worship humans as their god.