Scientists bring 46,000-year-old worm found in Siberian permafrost back to life
- When the microscopic creature was revived, it started having babies via a process called parthenogenesis, in which no mate is required
- The worm, from an ‘undescribed species’, is believed to have spent thousands of years in a state of cryptobiosis, where all metabolic processes are paused
Scientists discovered a female microscopic roundworm that has been stuck deep in Siberian permafrost for 46,000 years, The Washington Post reported.
When they revived it, the worm started having babies via a process called parthenogenesis, which does not require a mate.
According to a press release, the worm spent thousands of years in a type of dormancy called cryptobiosis. In that state, which can last almost indefinitely, all metabolic processes pause, including “reproduction, development and repair”, per the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
In a study published on Thursday in the journal PLOS Genetics, scientists reported that after sequencing the worm’s genome, scientists said it belonged to an “undescribed species”.
Previously, Plectus murrayi and Tylenchus polyhypnus nematodes were resurrected from moss and herbarium specimens after a few dozen years, according to Live Science.
