Roundworm frozen 46,000 years ago in Siberia Permafrost revived

Scientists have revived a roundworm that was frozen 46,000 years ago in Siberia permafrost. The worm co-existed with woolly mammoths, giant elks, and saber-toothed tigers. It was found in a dormant state of cryptobiosis 40 feet under the surface.

Cryptobiosis is a condition of existence in which the metabolism of a living organism reduces to such a minimalist level that it is not traceable. An organism in a cryptobiosis state does not need oxygen or water and can withstand extreme cold or high temperatures.

Calling it a major find, Teymuras Kurzchalia, professor emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden said that earlier discoveries of animals in similar conditions have survived for decades and not millennia.

Siberia Permafrost

This is not the first time that a roundworm has been found in the Siberian permafrost. Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Russia found a similar roundworm five years ago. The scientists revived two of the roundworms by simply putting them in water. They also took about one hundred roundworms to a laboratory in Germany.

Roundworm

After conducting genetic research in the laboratories of Dresden and Cologne, the scientists concluded that these worms did not belong to a new species. These worms create a special kind of sugar, trehalose, which perhaps helps them survive dehydration and freezing temperature.
Scientists also said that by studying these roundworms, people can learn how to conserve life or at least how to protect them in extreme conditions.

FAQs:

Q1. How did the roundworms survive in Siberian permafrost?
A1. Scientists have said that the worms reduced their metabolism to such a level that they became untraceable and survived without oxygen and water.

Q2. What is the significance of the roundworms found in Siberia?
A2. Scientists have said that by studying these roundworms, people can learn how to conserve life or at least how to protect them in extreme conditions.