In the Arctic permafrost, a kind of microorganism was successfully "resurrected" by Russian scientists

CNN reported on the 7th that a micro-organism that had slept in the Arctic permafrost for 24,000 years was "resurrected."

This tiny creature is called Bdelloid rotifers, which usually live in watery environments and have incredible survivability. Russian scientists discovered these creatures in samples dug from the permafrost in Siberia.

Stas Maravin, a researcher at the Soil Freezing Laboratory of the Pszczno Biological Research and Science Center in Russia, said, "Our report is the most powerful evidence to date, proving that multicellular animals can survive in a cryptogenic state for tens of thousands of years. , That is, in a state where the metabolism is almost completely stopped.” The research was published in the journal Current Biology on Monday.

Early research by other research groups in Russia showed that rotifers can survive for 10 years in a frozen state. In this new study, Russian researchers used radiocarbon dating to determine that the organisms they found in the permafrost have been frozen for approximately 24,000 years.

The report pointed out that this is not the first time scientists have resurrected ancient life from permanently frozen habitats. Previously, scientists had "resurrected" the stems of Antarctic moss from samples that had been covered by ice for about 400 years but had a history of 1,000 years; in the permafrost in two places in northeastern Siberia, they had "resurrected" a kind of so-called moss. The primitive worms of nematodes, these permafrost layers are more than 30,000 years old.

Mammals that have been dead for many years but are well preserved, including extinct cave bears and mammoths, have also been excavated from the permafrost. Due to climate change, permafrost is melting in some places.

Maravin said that it is almost impossible for larger life forms to survive in such a frozen state. He said, "Multicellular organisms can be frozen and stored for thousands of years, and then restored to life-this is the dream of many novel writers. Of course, the more complex the organism, the harder it is to cryopreserve. For mammals, it is still Impossible. However, the transition from a single-cell organism to an organism with an intestine and a brain, although it is a miniature organism, is a big step forward."

According to the study, once the rotifers are thawed, the organism can reproduce. These tiny invertebrates can also eat.

In order to understand how this creature "lived in suspended animation" in frozen ground, researchers frozen and thaw modern rotifers living in permafrost. They found that these creatures can withstand the formation of ice crystals during the slow freezing process. Although not all rotifers can survive the freezing process, studies have shown that this organism has a certain mechanism that can protect their cells and organs from damage caused by extremely low temperatures. (Edit: HHJ)

Source of this article: Global Times International