Roundworms woke alive after more than 40,000 years

Roundworms Are Astiguous

Researchers have now discovered that samples of so-called permafrost sediments contain nematodes that began to move and eat after thawing. Roundworms have been frozen over the past 40,000 years. This represents a record for the longest time that an animal can survive a so-called cryogenic conservation.

Scientists at the Moscow State University found in their current study that roundworms contained in permafrost are able to cryopreserve more than 40,000 years to survive. The doctors published the results of their study in the English newspaper "Doklady Biological Sciences".

Worms began to live again a few weeks after thawing

Roundworms in the permafrost began to move and feed a few weeks after thawing. In addition to revealing new cryogenic conservation limits, the results can also be important in preserving our own tissues, say the authors.

More than 300 samples were studied

Russian biologists dug for His study totaled over 300 samples of frozen soil of different ages and places, and brought them back to their Moscow laboratory for study them more closely. Samples taken in remote areas of northeastern Russia contained nematodes of two different genera that the researchers placed in Petri dishes containing a nutrient medium

The oldest sample had about 42,000 years

degrees Celsius until they gradually showed the first signs of life. Some of the worms belonging to the genus Panagrolaimus were found 30 meters underground, in an old mound that collapsed about 32,000 years ago. Other specimens of the genus Plectus were found in a drill sample at a depth of about 3.5 meters only. Carbon dating was then used to determine the age of the sample, which was about 42,000 years old, the researchers explain. Contamination of specimens can not be ruled out, but the researchers say that they followed strict procedures of infertility.

The animals were really frozen permanently

These worms are not known to dig deep into the permafrost and normally the seasonal thaw is limited to about 80 centimeters. There was also no sign of thawing possible beyond a depth of 1.5 meters while the temperature was about 9000 years warmer, say the doctors. This makes scientists fairly sure that worms have really froze for a very long time.

Bacterial renaissance of old organisms is not new

The revival of ancient organisms is not new in itself. In 2000, scientists extracted spores of Bacillus bacteria that were hidden in salt crystals 250 million years old. Specialists were able to bring these bacteria to life at this time

More research is needed

Survival is certainly impressive, but unfortunately we can not apply vital bacteria stuff to our complicated tissues. Finding animals that can survive for tens of thousands of years is a really interesting discovery that should be explored further, say the authors of the study.

Results Can Lead to Cryopreservation

Roundworms are known to be sturdy creatures. The nematodes have been revived in 39-year-old herbarium specimens, but until now nothing has been observed of similar magnitude. Close relatives of roundworms, known as tardigrades, are also known to survive extreme conditions and to repair damaged DNA. Even with these creatures, a state of conservation has never been observed for so long, allowing survival after freezing. The current late record is about 30 years old. Learn more about the biochemical mechanisms used by nematodes to limit ice damage and prevent the destruction of DNA over millennia could pave the way for better cryopreservation technologies.

Mechanisms of adaptation are very interesting for Science

Other organisms have been studied to convert their fluids to ice, such as wood frogs. So maybe someday, human tissue could be frozen for transplants. Maybe even the whole body could be frozen and later relaunched, experts speculate. Pleistocene nematodes have coping mechanisms that may be of scientific and practical importance for related scientific fields such as cryomedicine, cryobiology and astrobiology, scientists say

Can permafrost also release dangerous pathogens

? The current also finds a much darker side. It is feared that melting permafrost will release pathogens already frozen tens of thousands of years ago. Nematodes are not particularly disturbing, but their survival is evidence that a variety of organisms, from bacteria to animals and plants through mushrooms, could possibly come back after a long absence. What this means for the surrounding ecosystems, is not yet in sight, say the researchers. However, it remains to be hoped that the melting of ice in Siberia releases only harmless worms and not dangerous pathogens. (As)