When the microscopic creature was revived, it started having babies via a process called parthenogenesis, in which no mate is requiredThe worm, from an ‘undescribed species’, is believed to have spent thousands of years in a state of cryptobiosis, where all metabolic processes are paused
A scanning electron microscope image of a female Panagrolaimus kolymaensis. Image: Shatlilovich et al./PLOS Genetics, CC-BY 4.0
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”.
Just published @PLOSGenetics! 46,000yo worm from Siberian permafrost & model organism C. elegans utilize similar mechanisms to survive harsh #environmental condition. Kudos for #massspec #metabolomics to our @SofiaTraikov Congrats to the team!
A novel nematode species from the Siberian permafrost shares adaptive mechanisms for cryptobiotic…
Previously, Plectus murrayi and Tylenchus polyhypnus nematodes were resurrected from moss and herbarium specimens after a few dozen years, according to Live Science.
This new species, however, called Panagrolaimus kolymaensis, was dormant for tens of thousands of years longer.
Deep sea biologist Holly Bik estimates there are millions of nematode species living in environments as diverse as ocean trenches, tundras, deserts and volcanic soils. Scientists have only described 5,000 marine species so far.
William Crow, a nematologist at the University of Florida who was not involved in the study, told The Washington Post that this worm could belong to a species that has gone extinct in the last nearly 50,000 years.
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“However, it very well could be a commonly occurring nematode that no one got around to describing yet,” Crow said.
The fact that the worm survived all of those years is not a shock to scientists, who have known for years that microscopic organisms, like the worm studied here, can stop their biological functions to survive even the harshest conditions, according to the press release.
“Altogether, our findings demonstrate that nematodes evolved mechanisms potentially allowing them to suspend life over geological time scales,” the PLOS Genetics paper said.