Science, Discovery, Tech and Environment · 18 February 2026
5000-year-old Psychrobacter SC65A.3 from Scarisoara Ice Cave resists 10 modern antibiotics.
Exam-focused facts from the 18 February 2026 current affairs briefing.
Key facts
- The Institute of Biology Bucharest team extracted a 25-metre ice core from Scarisoara Ice Cave in Romania’s Apuseni mountains.
- Psychrobacter SC65A.3, dormant for 5000 years, carries over 100 resistance-related genes and withstands 28 tested drugs including rifampicin, vancomycin, trimethoprim and metronidazole.
- The genome of SC65A.3 encodes 11 antimicrobial compounds and nearly 600 genes of unknown function, offering potential for new antibiotics and cold-active industrial enzymes.
- Researchers warn that melting ice could release these ancient resistance genes, which may spread to modern pathogens via horizontal gene transfer.