What could go wrong? Russia scientists 'are trying to Extract Prehistoric Viruses from 50,000-year-old animal carcasses frozen in permafrost'
Russia is seeking to unlock unknown prehistoric viruses up to 50,000 years old by extracting biological material from carcasses of ancient animals frozen in permafrost.
Scientists from the Kremlin's equivalent of Porton Down are this week taking samples from a collection of specimens preserved in ice which have been found in recent years.
They are working with the remains of extinct woolly mammoths and hairy rhinos, as well as prehistoric dogs, horses, elk, rodents and hares.
The work is spearheaded by Vector State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology, once a Cold War biological warfare research plant established by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
Russia scientists 'are trying to extract prehistoric viruses from 50,000-year-old animal caracasses' | Daily Mail Online