Factor X (Beginner)

Scientists say there might be something dangerous hiding under the frozen ground that could make people sick. Microbes, tiny living things, have been stuck in the frozen ground for a very long time. This frozen ground is called permafrost, and it stays frozen for at least two years. It's usually found in high mountains and near the North and South Poles. The scientists think the permafrost is melting because of climate change. This melting could release unknown viruses, which they call 'Factor X'. A professor from Sweden, Birgitta Evengard, says we don't know much about Factor X and the harmful things in the permafrost.

A virus expert, Jean-Michel Claverie, says there are viruses in the permafrost that are more than 50,000 years old. These old viruses could be bad for people. Professor Claverie thinks viruses that are even older, up to a million years old, could be the scariest because we don't know anything about them. He also says diseases like smallpox and anthrax could be released. But some scientists think the bigger problem from melting permafrost is the release of methane, a gas that's much worse for the environment than CO2.