The court allowed scientists to explore the Kungur ice cave

Scientists have gained access to the Kungur ice cave to conduct research. This was announced on August 6 by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Forestry and Ecology of the Perm Region.

"On August 5, a commission inspection of the territory of the specially protected natural area "Ice Mountain and Kungur Ice Cave" took place with the participation of specialists from the Ministry of Nature of the Perm Territory, the administration of the Kungursky Municipal District and law enforcement agencies," the Telegram channel said.

The reason for the access was the decision of the Perm Regional Court of July 30, which declared the ownership of Stalagmite-Excursions LLC to the excursion trail, entrance and exit tunnels, communication facilities and electric power industry of the cave illegal. The Kungur city Prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit with the court.

Scientists from the Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have been involved in assessing the safety and environmental condition of the facility. They will give a comprehensive description of the cave's safety, examine the vaults and assess the damage caused by the previous operator's activities.

The experts will also develop a zoning and landscaping plan, a 3D model of the ecological and geological route and the layout of the new infrastructure. The timing of the resumption of access for tourists will be determined after the completion of research and lawsuits.

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In February, the journal Popular Science reported that scientists had isolated a bacterial strain about 5,000 years old from an ice layer in the Romanian cave Scarisoara. The study showed that the ancient bacterium is Psychrobacter SC65A.3 is resistant to 10 modern antibiotics from 10 classes and contains more than 100 resistance-related genes. At the same time, it is able to suppress the growth of some antibiotic-resistant "superbugs". According to WHO estimates, in 2019, antibiotic resistance caused 1.27 million deaths worldwide. The ice samples were taken from a 25-meter ice core in the cave, the ice in which reflects the chronology of up to 13 thousand years.