Did
you ever wake up from a long nap feeling a little disoriented, not quite
knowing where you were? Now, imagine getting a wake-up call after being
"asleep" for 42,000 years. In Siberia, melting permafrost is
releasing nematodes — microscopic worms that live in soil — that have been
suspended in a deep freeze since the Pleistocene. Despite being frozen for tens
of thousands of years, two species of these worms were successfully revived,
scientists recently reported in a new study.
Their
findings, published in the May 2018 issue of the journal Doklady Biological Sciences, represent the first evidence of multicellular
organisms returning to life after a long-term slumber in Arctic permafrost, the
researchers wrote.
Though
nematodes are tiny — typically measuring about 1 millimeter in length — they
are known to possess impressive abilities. Some are found living 0.8 miles (1.3
kilometers) below Earth's surface, deeper than any other multicellular animal. Certain worms
that live on an island in the Indian Ocean can develop one of five
different mouths, depending on what type of food is available. Others are
adapted to thrive inside slug
intestines and travel on slimy highways of slug poop.
Learn
more here.