Scientists in France are studying ice cores extracted from the Alps and the Andes mountains to better understand the history of the earth's climate. By analyzing chemical traces in ice sheets, they can re-construct the history of the vegetation fires that erupted in the Amazon forest. 

Their quest goes beyond exploring climate change, and is expected to lead to medical use.

By extracting microorganisms from the ice cores and studying their genome and evolution over time, scientists can determine when, for example, a bacteria or virus became particularly dangerous to humans. 

Ice extraction began under the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, in August 2016. But scientists have been preparing for the delivery of ice sheets since December 2015.

"There were several steps, including bringing the core extractor from the United States and then planning all the steps on the ground because Bolivia is a complex place and on top of that there is a cold chain to respect throughout the transportation process. It's true it was a big challenge for everyone," said Julie Bourdon, coordinator of the Ulisse logistics unit which on Thursday received a shipment of fifty isothermal boxes of ice extracted from Bolivia.