SearchNematodes, or roundworms, are pretty clever little creatures that can live in all sorts of different environments. There could be as many as 40,000 different kinds.
But recently, a couple of nematodes from glacial Arctic samples were revived after almost 42,000 years proving that freezing is not fatal.
Samples previously discovered in Antarctica were reawakened after 60 years. It is thought that in situations where they might freeze and die, they in fact go into a death-like state of suspended animation. They are able to pump water out of their bodies and produce proteins so that they do not freeze and die. When water or moisture returns, they are able to re-animate. The process is called cryoconservation.
Arctic samples of permafrost were taken by researchers from Moscow and Princeton. The sample of permafrost taken from the Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia was estimated to be about 42,000 years old. Back in the lab the samples were defrosted and the worms observed moving and eating. Further study is needed to understand how their adaptive mechanisms really work.
For more information go to Live Science.
