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.
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