Right after the discovery of a giant “tadpole” found in Siberia that is continuously growing, scientists immediately issued a new warning.
Scientists evaluated images captured by NASA’s Landsat 7 and 8 satellites (also known as the Earth Observation Program) in Siberia and noticed an unusual detail. In each image, there appears to be a giant “tadpole” that is growing, alongside a very large pit. These photos were taken from 1999 to 2015. However, after discovering the growth of this “tadpole,” scientists quickly raised concerns. Why is this?
Image of the “tadpole” growing as recorded by Landsat 7 and 8 satellites. (Photo: Baidu)
Concerning Development
In fact, the images captured by NASA’s satellites do not depict a giant “tadpole” but rather a sinkhole known as Batagaika. Batagaika is one of the largest sinkholes in the world. It is located in the Verkhoyansk District in northeastern Siberia, Russia. According to NASA scientists, the first signs of the formation of Batagaika date back to the early 1970s.
On August 27, 1999, the Batagaika sinkhole officially appeared. Initially, the sinkhole was approximately 1 km long and 90 m deep. Observations from 1999 to 2015 show it appears to be continuously expanding. Researcher Frank Günther from the Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany) estimates that the average expansion rate of the Batagaika sinkhole is 10 m per year. However, in reality, remote sensing images indicate that the sinkhole is opening up by 20 to 30 m each year.
In fact, the “tadpole” captured by NASA is the Batagaika sinkhole in Siberia. (Photo: Science)
The reason for the emergence of the Batagaika sinkhole has been identified as global warming, causing permafrost to melt away and the overlying soil to collapse. Thanks to the formation of the Batagaika sinkhole, archaeologists have had the opportunity to discover skeletons of mammoths, musk oxen, woolly rhinoceroses, and cave lions. From these findings, they believe that many unexplained mysteries of the ancient world will soon be uncovered. However, that is not all.
Under the Batagaika sinkhole, archaeologists have discovered many skeletons of ancient animals. (Photo: Baidu)
In a study published in the journal Current Biology on June 7, 2021, scientists collected a strange specimen from the permafrost in Siberia. After drilling to a depth of 3.5 m beneath the Alazeya River, they discovered a rotifer of the genus Adineta in a state of metabolic dormancy. Radiocarbon dating indicated that this rotifer is approximately 24,000 years old.
Notably, after being thawed in the laboratory, these rotifers revived and continued to reproduce asexually. Remarkably, the new rotifers have the exact same genetic makeup as the ancient rotifers. Previous studies suggested that this type of microorganism could only survive for a decade after being frozen.
Magnified image of the 24,000-year-old rotifer found in Siberia. (Photo: Baidu)
Ultimately, scientists found an answer to how ancient rotifers can survive for such long periods. Expert Stas Malavin at the SCL Laboratory (Russia) stated, “Ancient rotifers can survive in harsh environments due to a mechanism that ‘freezes’ all activity and halts metabolic processes. This state is akin to hiding life, lying somewhere between being alive and dead.”
Rotifers are multicellular, invertebrate organisms. They are known for their ability to withstand radiation, endure harsh environments with low oxygen, and survive without food. This discovery has led scientists to formulate additional concerning hypotheses.
The Threat from Ancient Species
The reason for concern is the increasing appearance of sinkholes in Siberia and many places on Earth. Naturally, these phenomena are a consequence of rising average global temperatures due to the greenhouse effect, which has resulted in the rapid melting of permafrost in Siberia.
The Batagaika sinkhole is expanding due to global warming. (Photo: Baidu)
Furthermore, humans have only existed on Earth for a few hundred thousand years, while microorganisms have been present since the planet formed about 3.8 billion years ago. Scientists are concerned that if permafrost in Siberia melts and more sinkholes appear, as well as the melting of glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic, it will release many types of ancient microorganisms.
Scientists worry that beneath the Batagaika sinkhole lies a massive permafrost layer that has existed since the Ice Age. The cold environment of the permafrost under the Batagaika sinkhole has kept some ancient organisms alive in a dormant state. Thawing will awaken these ancient microorganisms and viruses. If some ancient viruses are as resilient as rotifers, they could pose a major disaster for humanity.
These could be viruses harmful to humans. For ancient viruses, the human immune system would likely be unable to cope with them. A moment of carelessness could lead to human extinction due to these viruses. Indeed, in 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Siberia killed over 2,000 reindeer and sent 96 people to the hospital. Pathogen spores were identified as having escaped from the corpse of an infected reindeer that was exposed when the permafrost preserving it melted.
Scientists are concerned that beneath the permafrost in the Batagaika sinkhole are many ancient viruses that could pose a threat to humanity. (Photo: Baidu)
Additionally, during a deep drilling expedition 50 m into the permafrost on a river in Tibet, Chinese and American scientists discovered 33 strains of ancient viruses. Analysis results showed that out of these 33 strains, as many as 28 viruses had never been identified by scientists. These viruses lived during the Ice Age around 15,000 years ago.
Although they later confirmed that these viruses are not lethal, many other pathogens may still be alive in permafrost layers around the world, not just in the Batagaika sinkhole. We still do not know what dangers may arise from the release of these ancient viruses. These remain mysteries that humanity needs to find answers to.
