Scientists say they have relaunched frozen worms of 42,000 years

The samples were stored in a laboratory at about -4 degrees Fahrenheit. The isolated nematodes were then brought to 68 degrees later and surrounded by food. After several weeks of culture, the nematodes began to show signs of life and began to move and eat. "Thus, our data demonstrate the ability of multicellular organisms to survive long-term (tens of thousands of years) cryobiosis under natural cryopreservation conditions," the researchers said in a study published in Doklady Biological Science .

While other studies have shown that some nematode species can survive in extreme environments – such as 25.5 years at below freezing temperatures and 39 years of desiccation – this study appears to be the first to demonstrate survival of nematodes after such a Theoretically, it is possible that if organisms are protected against physical damage that would compromise their structural integrity during their frozen internment, they should be able to relive during defrosting / rehydration for very long periods of time. time, "Robin Giblin-Davis, director of the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center at the University of Florida, said Gizmodo .But there is still a chance that these nematodes are not what they seem to be. "The biggest problem is the possibility of contamination of" old samples "with org "contemporary" anisms, "he added.

The researchers say that they maintained appropriate sterility procedures during the collection and transport of their samples. I have reached the depths at which these nematodes were found, which greatly limits the movement of samples or the introduction of current nematodes. If these results are legitimate, they could help researchers understand how certain species survive such extreme temperatures and how these nematodes have evolved over time.