How the melting glaciers are unlocking ancient superbugs we’ve never seen before

Researchers warn that long-dormant pathogens and ancient antibiotic-resistance genes are slipping into freshwater systems.

Do not mistake glaciers for mere frozen lakes. They are time capsules holding Earth’s history. Snow that fell thousands of years ago compacts into ice; in doing so, it traps whatever was suspended in the atmosphere at the time: dust, pollen, bacteria, fungal spores, parasitic eggs and viral particles.