Green | April 20, 2009 | 8 comments

Antarctic Microbes Waiting to be Identified

source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/04/16/microbes.antarctic.discovery/index.html

Image
csmonut
Life proliferates in frozen areas, we all know that. But these microbes are 1.5 million years old. Which begs the question: if/when the ice melts on our poles, will this release microbes into our atmosphere, showering us with diseases that we have no immunity from?
Interesting thought.
What do you think?
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    Green,   Science
  2. tags:
    Green,  Environment,  Science,  Climate Change,  5 more
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8 comments // Antarctic Microbes Waiting to be Identified

  • pdp999
    • 0
      pdp999  

    • you know, if they do get released and begin to kill people uncontrollably (i mean as a disease, not a being) we will make some excuse so that it wasn't really because of us and global warming, and even is we do recognize it as G.W. we won't change our ways will we? Feedback anyone?

    • 4 years ago
  • jubal
  • catchiecoo
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • It's a doubled edged sword. A potentially momentous discovery of our past, and perhaps releasing something from a pristine environment that should have stayed where it was. My question is more on a moral scale. Is it moral to disturb other types of species and their pristine environment that has survived for so many millions of years? Could it also work the other way around in not exactly hurting us, but them?

    • 4 years ago
  • current89
  • pjacobs51
    • 0
      pjacobs51  

    • I guess we will be finding out about our immunity to these microbes soon enough.

      But like cyman01 says, it opens possibilities to off world life forms.

    • 4 years ago
  • vistapoint
  • cyman01
    • 0
      cyman01  

    • interesting- makes for a good scifi plot,but i'm more interested in the knowledge of the possibilities opened for life forms out of our planet's realm

    • 4 years ago
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