00:03As the planet gets warmer and permafrost begins to thaw, researchers are finding some extremely
00:08old organisms that have been frozen for millennia. Back in 2018, they unearthed some nematodes in
00:14Siberia, estimating they were some 32,000 years old. Now using radiocarbon dating,
00:19they've discovered they're even far older than that. The genus is called Panagrolimus,
00:23and now experts say they are from the Pleistocene era, or a period on Earth around 46,000 years
00:29ago. What's even crazier? The nematodes were revived after being thawed out, meaning they are now the
00:35longest known creatures to have remained in cryobiosis ever. And that's massive news, as the
00:40previous record holders were modern worms, ones which have been documented as undergoing cryobiosis
00:45for just 39 years. The nematodes were found some 131 feet underground, with the study's authors saying
00:52about the find, quote, this indicates that by adapting to survive cryobiotic state for short
00:57time frames. In environments like permafrost, some nematode species gain the potential for
01:01individual worms to remain in the state for geological time frames. Now they're searching
01:06for what possible upper limit there might be for cryobiosis, hoping to unlock the secret
01:10to safely freezing cells.
Comments