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Tiny nematodes like this one have proved surprisingly robust, restoring themselves after thousands of years frozen in Arctic ice
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Ever wake up from a long nap feeling a little disoriented, not knowing where you were? Now, imagine an awakening after being "asleep" for 42,000 years
In Siberia, melting permafrost releases nematodes – microscopic worms that live in the soil – that have been suspended in a deep freeze since the Pleistocene. Although they have been frozen for tens of thousands of years, two species of these worms have been relaunched successfully, scientists recently reported in a new study.
Their findings, published in the May 2018 issue of the journal Doklady Biological Sciences, of multicellular organisms returning to life after a long-term sleep in Arctic permafrost, the researchers wrote. [Weird Wildlife: The Real Animals of Antarctica]
Although nematodes are tiny – usually about 1 millimeter in length – they are known to have impressive abilities. Some are 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) below the surface of the Earth, deeper than any other multicellular animal. Some worms that live on an island in the Indian Ocean may develop one of five different mouths, depending on the type of food available. For the new study, researchers analyzed 300 samples of Arctic permafrost deposits and found two that contained several well-preserved nematodes. A sample was taken from a fossilized squirrel burrow near the Alazeya River in northeastern Yakutia, Russia, from deposits estimated at about 32,000 years old. The other sample of permafrost came from the Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia, and the age of the deposits was around 42,000 years, according to the scientists.
They isolated the worms – all females – samples of permafrost. species of nematodes: Panagrolaimus detritophagus and Plectus parvus . After thawing worms, the researchers saw them move and eat, making them the first evidence of "natural cryopreservation" of multicellular animals, according to the study.
However, nematodes were not the first organism to wake up for millennia. ice-cold suspension. Earlier, another group of scientists had identified a giant virus that was revived after 30,000 years in Siberian permafrost. (Do not panic, amoebae are the only animal affected by this former attacker.)
Further studies will be needed to unravel the mechanisms of the old nematodes that allowed them to survive such prolonged freezing; Highlighting how these adaptations work could have implications in many scientific fields, such as cryomedicine, cryobiology and astrobiology, "the researchers conclude
Original article on Live Science
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