The frozen lands of the Siberian region occasionally come up with strange news. These reports are usually about creatures that have not been around for tens of thousands of years. We can say that the reason for this is the success of the frozen soils of the region in hiding the bodies of living things.
The latest news is again very interesting because scientists have announced that they have brought back a living species that has been under the frozen soil layer of Siberia for about 46 thousand years.
In fact, these creatures never died;
The subject of the research is a type of nematode that is said to have not been detected before. These creatures are a microscopic type of worm. Their most important feature is that they can transition into a state of life called cryptobiosis.
There are a very limited number of living things that can perform cryptobiosis, and the system can be summarized in its simplest form as the ability of these creatures to survive in harsh conditions by almost completely stopping their vital activities. For example, a living creature can survive for tens, hundreds or even thousands of years, even in extreme cold like -100 degrees, by almost stopping its metabolic activities with cryptobiosis.
Similar studies have been done in the past. So this is not a first;
But what makes this study interesting in itself is that the nematodes of the species in question extend the duration of cryptobiosis to thousands of years more than previously known.
The nematodes found in samples taken from a previously undissolved area about 40 meters below the surface were revived in the laboratory and allowed to reproduce. The species, which can reproduce with the spawning of females without the need for a male individual, continued to reproduce without any problems after being under the ground for 46 thousand years.
These studies are important because…
Understanding mechanisms like cryptobiosis means understanding the mechanisms of life that develop the ability to survive in extreme conditions. In addition, as you know, there are projects such as the revival of living things that went extinct thousands of years ago…
Another issue that comes to the fore from time to time is the question “Can harmful viruses and parasites that have been dormant for thousands of years come to the surface as the glaciers melt?” The answer, on the other hand, seems to be one that doesn’t quite work for us. If such scenarios do happen, it is difficult to predict what kind of problems we will have to contend with.
Of course, the data obtained also raises some new questions for cryptobiosis; For example, researchers think they should also investigate whether there is an upper time limit for surviving with cryptobiosis. In the coming period, it is aimed to find answers to all questions with new researches.
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