The melting Arctic gives scientists valuable access to long-dead viruses
After permafrost at Gates of the Arctic National Park thawed, the landscape changed, allowing the Okokmilaga River to flow to the sea. (National Park Service Climate Change Response/)This story was published in partnership with Nexus Media, a syndicated newswire covering climate, energy, policy, art, and culture.For decades, the Inuit woman, a victim of the 1918 Spanish flu, lay buried in a mass grave under six feet of Alaskan permafrost. But when the frozen ground began to thaw in the 1990s, the Inuit town of Brevig Mission gave scientists permission to dig her up. Her ample body fat kept her lungs insulated against warmer temperatures, helping to preserve the fragments of the virus that lay within.Thanks to this discovery, researchers were able to decipher the virus’s genetic blueprint, which recently allowed them to understand why the 1918 flu had been so lethal. They say their insights will help public health experts...