46000-Year-Old Worm Possibly Revived from Siberian Permafrost
- July 31, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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46000-Year-Old Worm Possibly Revived from Siberian Permafrost
Subject :Science and tech
Section: Awareness in IT and computers
Context:
- An international team of scientists says nematodes found in Siberian permafrost are 46,000 years old and survived using techniques similar to those of a modern lab favorite.
About the new finding:
- In 2018 scientists announced they had discovered and revived two types of microscopic nematodes found in the Siberian permafrost, estimating they may have been 42,000 years old.
- One of these nematode varieties represents a new species, dubbed Panagrolaimuskolymaensis for the Kolyma River where they were found.
- The new research also compares the Siberian worm’s survival mechanism with one found in another nematode species, Caenorhabditis elegans—a model organism used in laboratories around the world.
- The researchers further claim that the P. kolymaensis worms are actually 46,000 years old.
Panagrolaimus species:
- P. kolymaensis is parthenogenic, meaning females of the species can reproduce without a male partner (although typically less profusely).
- The nematodes are triploid, containing three copies of each chromosome; typically, chromosomes come in pairs, with half contributed by each parent. Thus their genetic analysis becomes challenging.
- Panagrolaimus species are found around the world and are known for surviving in environments that regularly expose them to desiccation or freezing.
- If the worms really are as old as the study suggests, they would be by far the most stunning examples of what scientists call cryptobiosis—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 dormancy-like state of cryptobiosis using special preparatory cues.