Why would a man of sound mind and body decide to inject himself with a 3 and a half million GSGFSDGSDGSSCCCCCC
year old virus that he found in the Siberian mountains?
Not any man, but a man of science and understanding?
One day, this insane academic decided to load up a syringe of the ancient bacteria and inject
himself with it.
Why?
What would compel such a person to do such a thing?
Well, the scientist in question, Anatoli Brouchkov, figured that whatever had kept those bacteria
alive for 3 and a half million years might also keep human life alive just as long.
And since 2009, his plan has succeeded.
And what’s more, Brouchkov has been in the best health he has ever been in..
Today, we look deep into the science behind that old virus in order to find out exactly
what is going on, in this episode of The Infographics Show – Why Would a Scientist Inject Himself
with a 3.5-Million-Year-Old Bacteria.
Anatoli Brouchkov, head of the Geocryology Department at Moscow State University, discovered
the bacteria in 2009.
The virus was embedded in an ancient permafrost site called Mammoth Mountain in the Sakha
Republic, otherwise known as the Yakutia region in Siberia.
A similar bacterium was found by scientist Vladimir Repin in the brain of an ice-preserved
woolly mammoth.
Although the virus was trapped in the ice, it was still alive after all those years,
and this is of interest to scientists.
What has kept it alive for so long?
Brouchkov and his team were determined to find out.
Experiments began.
Mice injected with Bacillus F were able to reproduce at an age older than mice typically
reproduce, suggesting that Bacillus F may have potential as a longevity serum.
But the experiments didn’t stop with pregnant granny rodents.
Oh no, Brouchkov also experimented with fruit flies with positive results.
Even plants exposed to the bacteria thrived for an unusually long length of time.
Brouchkov confirmed in an interview for Russian TV that he need to extend the experiment to
human subjects - namely himself.
Since injecting himself with the virus, his general health and well-being have improved
dramatically.
“I’ve started to work longer,” he said, “I’ve never had a flu for the last two
years.
After successful experiments on mice and fruit flies, I thought it would be interesting to
try the inactivated bacterial culture.”
The scientist continued, “The permafrost is thawing, and I guess these bacteria get
into the environment, into the water, so the local population, the Yakut people, in fact,
for a long time are getting these cells with water, and even seem to live longer than some
other nations.
So there was no danger for me.
But we do not know how it works.
In fact, we do not know exactly how Aspirin works, for example, but it does.
The same is true here: we cannot understand the mechanism, but we see the impact.
Perhaps there were some side-effects, but there should be some special medical equipment
to spot them.
Of course, such experiments need to be conducted in clinic, with the special equipment and
statistics.
Then we could say clearly about all the effects.
If we find how the bacteria stay alive, we probably would be able to find a tool to extend
our own lives.”
Yakutsk epidemiologist Dr. Viktor Chernyavsky added, “The bacteria gives out biologically
active substances throughout its life, which activates the immune status of experimental
animals.
If the same substance were to be given to people, it could cause a significant improvement
in their health, leading to the discovery of an ‘elixir of life.’”
So by making himself the human guinea pig in this experiment, Brouchkov hopes to find
out more about longevity.
And who knows, in the process, he may end up becoming one of the oldest scientists himself.
Three different strains of bacteria exist in the permafrost, and Brouchkov is determined
to find out how the bacteria protect themselves against cell damage.
Brouchkov speculates that immortal bacteria probably exist somewhere in the world and
that such bacteria protect themselves from dying.
Somewhere within the virus, he feels, the secret must be hidden.
His team has completed deciphering the Bacillus F DNA but now faces the complicated task of
figuring out which genes are responsible for the longevity of the virus.
The isolation of this gene would be the key to unlocking the puzzle perhaps to eternal
life.
But even if he does not find the secret of everlasting life, Brouchkov has stumbled into
a remarkable new field.
Discovering the mechanism behind the vitality of the virus could have significant health
implications for humankind.
“If we can find how the bacteria stays alive, then we will be able to find the cure to prolong
our own life,” Brouchkov concluded.
Brouchkov isn’t the only scientist experimenting with ancient bacteria.
For years, scientists have been examining the bacteria from the Siberian Mountains and
beyond.
There’s still much to learn about viruses and the hundreds of protein-encoding genes.
Scientists are always looking to nature for clues as to how to improve human health.
In February 2018, an article published by the New Atlas magazine looked at the mole
rat.
This mammal lives well into its 30s and is pretty much immune to all types of cancer
and can do without oxygen for long lengths of time.
Perhaps if scientists can pull apart the cell structure of this mammal a secret to its longevity
may be unraveled.
There are bound to be, as Brouchkov suggests, many more secrets out there in nature.
These secrets may lead to humankind living a much longer and healthier life.
What’s the strangest and most unlikely cure that you have heard of?
Are there alternative treatments for cancer that actually work?
Does the secret to longevity exist in a frozen virus or in a ground-dwelling rodent?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to watch our other video called Horrible Things That Will Happen in 2019.
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