Centuries-old Frozen Worm Resuscitated

Scientists have lately resurrected a 46,000yo frozen worm. The roundworm of a previously unidentified species survived 40 meters (131.2 feet) beneath the surface in the Siberian tundra in a state known as cryptobiosis dating back to an era known as the Pleistocene, reported several international news websites.
Cryptobiotic organisms can thrive in the absence of water or oxygen, as well as hot temperatures, icy conditions, and extremely salty environments. They remain in a hibernation-like state, with metabolic rates dropping to undetectable levels, explained Teymuras Kurzchalia, emeritus professor at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden and one of the researchers involved in the study.
“One can halt life and then start it from the beginning. This is a major finding,” he added, noting that prior species returning to life from this stage had survived for decades not millennia.
All started in 2018, when scientists from Russia’s Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science discovered two roundworm species in Siberian permafrost five years ago.
Anastasia Shatilovich, one of the researchers, revived two of the worms at the institute by simply rehydrating them with water before sending about 100 worms to labs in Germany for more testing.
Following the defrosting of the worms, the scientists employed the radiocarbon method to find that the deposits had not been thawed for 45,839 to 47,769 years ago.
Both female nematodes began reproducing asexually in the lab after awakening. Despite the fact that the original pair is no longer alive, scientists have over 1,000 descendants.