Scientists at the Korea Polar Research Institute have identified microbes preserved in Antarctic glaciers for up to two-thousand years that may pose risks to human health.

The institute revealed on Wednesday that analysis of ice cores from the Styx Glacier near South Korea’s Jang Bogo Station uncovered 656 strains of microorganisms, including 55 classified as potentially pathogenic.

Some carried genes that enable them to evade immune responses, while others contained genetic sequences linked to lethal effects in animals.

Notably, certain strains exhibited hemolytic activity, which destroys red blood cells at normal human body temperature.

Institute President Shin Hyoung Chul warned that melting glaciers caused by climate change could release long-trapped microbes, raising the risk of human exposure.

The findings were published last month in the journal Environmental Research.