Ancient nematode revived

Tiny nematodes like this one were found to be unexpectedly hardy, reviving after thousands of years frozen in Arctic ice. (Image credit: Shutterstock) The nematodes measure about 1 mm  (0.025 inches).

There was a previous post about the possibility of “resurrecting” a woolly mammoth (see post below). A 46,000-year-old worm is now reportedly revived from the Siberian permafrost. 

 

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For the new study, researchers analyzed 300 samples of Arctic permafrost deposits and found two that held several well-preserved nematodes. One sample was collected from a fossil squirrel burrow near the Alazeya River in the northeastern part of Yakutia, Russia.

The revived nematodes were found in the permafrost near the Kolyma river in Eastern Russia
 

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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 [in 2018]. 

Thought initially to be a contaminant, recent carbon testing of associated plant material has dated the specimen to 46,000 years:

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Panagrolaimus species are found around the world and are known for surviving in environments that regularly expose them to desiccation or freezing, says Ann Burnell, an emeritus professor of biology at Maynooth University in Ireland, who was not involved in the new study.

If the worms really are as old as the study suggests, they would be by far the most stunning examples of what scientists call crytobiosis—an organism’s ability to suspend its own metabolism in poor conditions.

In addition to the radiocarbon dating, the authors of the new study also confirmed that they could successfully induce the nematodes to enter and exit the dormancylike state of cryptobiosis using special preparatory cues.

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/46-000-year-old-worm-possibly-revived-from-siberian-permafrost/?amp=true

https://www.livescience.com/63187-siberian-permafrost-worms-revive.html

Here’s some interesting insights to the case from an article by CNN.

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Five years ago, scientists from the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Russia found two roundworm species in the Siberian permafrost.

One of the researchers, Anastasia Shatilovich, revived two of the worms at the institute by simply rehydrating them with water, before taking around 100 worms to labs in Germany for further analysis, transporting them in her pocket.

 

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The roundworm, of a previously unknown species, survived 40 meters (131.2 feet) below the surface in the Siberian permafrost in a dormant state known as cryptobiosis.

Organisms in a cryptobiotic state can endure the complete absence of water or oxygen and withstand high temperatures, as well as freezing or extremely salty conditions. They remain in a state “between death and life,” in which their metabolic rates decrease to an undetectable level.

After thawing the worms, the scientists used radiocarbon analysis of the plant material in the sample to establish that the deposits had not been thawed since between 45,839 and 47,769 years ago.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/28/world/worm-resurrected-frozen-siberian-permafrost-intl-scli-scn/index.html

Here's an interesting article on the risks of permafrost degradation: lethal viruses, bacteria, fungi, and toxic chemicals. Although somewhat hysterical, this article is thought provoking, nevertheless:

Emergent biogeochemical risks from Arctic permafrost degradation | Nature Climate Change