Microscopic animal brought back to life after 24,000 years frozen in Siberian permafrost
The world of tiny and extremely tough creatures is a challenge for tardigrades. Bdelloid Rotifers, like tardigrades can survive starvation, drying, freezing and low oxygen conditions. Scientists have now reported that they were able to revive some of these rotifers, which had been frozen in Siberian Permafrost at least for 24,000 years.
Current Biology has published the incredible findings. Researchers took permafrost samples about 3.5 meters (11,5 feet) deep. They slowly warmed them up which resulted in the resurrection of many microscopic organisms.
In a press release, Stas Malavin, co-author of the Soil Cryology Laboratory of the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Pushchino in Russia, stated that \”our report is the strongest proof to date that multicellular organisms could withstand tens of thousand years in cryptobiosis – the state of nearly completely arrested metabolism.\”
Source:
https://www.iflscience.com/microscopic-animal-brought-back-to-life-after-24000-years-frozen-in-siberian-permafrost-59952
