RNA virus genomes from centuries- to millennia-old Adélie penguin mummies

Biorxiv : The Preprint Server for Biology, Page 2025.12.17.693957

Direct studies of long-term RNA virus evolution are largely limited to chemically-fixed specimens from natural history and pathology museums collected over the past two centuries. Detecting genomic traces of RNA viruses in older, buried remains is generally considered highly unlikely. The cold, dry conditions of Antarctica may represent an exception. Under such circumstances, natural mummification of penguins and seals-animals that form large colonies where RNA viruses circulate-is common and may facilitate the recovery of RNA virus genomes. Here, we show that Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) mummies, ranging in age from recent to nearly two millennia, indeed contain fragments of such ancient viral genomes. Metatranscriptomic analyses yielded near-complete genome sequences of a picornavirus (Megrivirus epengu) and a rotavirus D (Rotavirus deltagastroenteritidis) from relatively recent specimens. We further retrieved rotavirus D sequences from a 280-year-old individual and a near-complete rotavirus G (Rotavirus gammagastroenteritidis) genome from a 1900-year-old one. These findings pave the way to direct studies of RNA virus evolution across millennia.

DOI: 10.64898/2025.12.17.693957