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The melting of Siberian permafrost allowed the release of tiny nematodes, which live in the soil, which have been suspended in deep freezing since the Pleistocene.
According to reports, a team of researchers, despite these organisms have been frozen for tens of thousands of years, two species of these worms have been successfully relaunched, and are now considered live animals. the oldest in the world, in what is described as a major scientific breakthrough.
Russian biologists from the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Biological Problems of Soil Science, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Moscow State University and the White Sea Biological Station unearthed more than 300 samples in the vicinity of Kolyma. the coldest part of Russia, a region known as Yakutia.
They found that the samples were full of scotopic micro life: unicellular cyanobacteria, green algae and yeasts. But among these samples, they also found some macroscopic organisms, namely some nematodes (Panagrolaimus aff detritophagus and Plectus aff Parvus), also known as ascaris.
Nematodes of the species Panagrolaimus were found in soil samples taken. at a depth of 30 meters, in a place where there was once a burrow. The estimated age of the sample was 32,000 years
In the case of the species Plectus, samples were taken at a lower depth, at only 3.5 meters; however, radiocarbon dating shows that their age is even higher: 42,000 years.
After identifying worms, biologists place them in a nutrient medium in a room maintained at a comfortable temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit)
It was not long before nematodes began to show signs of life. In a few weeks, they moved and ate, setting a new record of how long an organism can survive after a freezing state.
But beyond how striking it is that these creatures return to life later After spending 42,000 years in the cold, this study reveals two contrasting visions; The optimist, evaluates the mechanisms that allowed these organisms to survive and the valuable contribution to scientific fields such as cryomedicine, cryobiology and astrobiology.
The other side of the coin shows us that, as global warming continues its course and much of the permafrost continues to melt, it could release a series of pathogens that are currently frozen. What will be the consequences of this advent is a real mystery.
Reference: Viable nematodes of Upper Pleistocene permafrost from the plains of the Kolyma River. Doklady Biological Sciences, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/s0012496618030079
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