00:00 As the planet gets warmer and permafrost begins to thaw, researchers are finding some extremely
00:08 old organisms that have been frozen for millennia.
00:11 Back in 2018, they unearthed some nematodes in Siberia, estimating they were some 32,000
00:16 years old.
00:17 Now, using radiocarbon dating, they've discovered they're even far older than that.
00:21 The genus is called Pantagrolimus, and now experts say they are from the Pleistocene
00:26 era, or a period on Earth around 46,000 years ago.
00:30 What's even crazier, the nematodes were revived after being thawed out, meaning they are now
00:34 the longest known creatures to have remained in cryobiosis ever.
00:39 And that's massive news, as the previous record holders were modern worms, ones which
00:43 have been documented as undergoing cryobiosis for just 39 years.
00:47 The nematodes were found some 131 feet underground, with the study's authors saying about the
00:52 find, quote, "This indicates that by adapting to survive cryobiotic state for short timeframes,
00:57 in environments like permafrost, some nematode species gain the potential for individual
01:02 worms to remain in the state for geological timeframes."
01:05 Now they're searching for what possible upper limit there might be for cryobiosis, hoping
01:09 to unlock the secret to safely freezing cells.
01:12 [music]
Comments