Howtown asks 'Did we just unfreeze a pandemic?' Spooky science for spooky season

I promised "something short, evergreen, and educational" today, so I'm sharing Howtown asking Did we just unfreeze a pandemic?

Deep in Siberia’s permafrost, scientists have revived “zombie viruses” that have been frozen for tens of thousands of years — and headlines warn they could spark the next pandemic. In this episode of Howtown, we investigate the real science behind these ancient microbes: what’s actually being found in the Arctic, how giant viruses like Pithovirus sibericum survive for millennia, and whether thawing permafrost could ever release a pathogen capable of infecting humans. From mammoth carcasses to anthrax outbreaks to the relatively recent discovery of enormous amoeba-infecting viruses, this video breaks down the five steps any ancient microbe would need to start a pandemic — and why the truth is more fascinating than frightening.

This is the flip side of Vox explains how thawing permafrost is already releasing dangerous diseases. Vox's video said it was possible. Adam Cole and Joss Fong came to the conclusion that, in this case, the answer is no. The giant viruses revived from the permafrost infect amoebas, not animals, so they are not able to infect humans. Also, the viruses that can infect humans and then spread from human to human are not able to survive being frozen. Yes, anthrax and Clostridium can survive as spores for centuries (the Clostridium toxins that killed the rhinos in The Last Rhinos: A New Hope came from buried cattle corpses), but they don't spread from person to person, so no pandemic.

Climate change unleashing a pandemic from the permafrost makes for a great science fiction, horror, and thriller premise, but our next pandemic is more likely to come from living, active ecosystems. After all, Contagion predicted much of what actually happened with COVID-19 and that had nothing to do with thawing permafrost or climate change.

That's a wrap for today's spooky science for spooky season. Stay tuned for more nominees at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.