Scientists have successfully revived roundworms that were in the dormant stage for 46,000 years in the Siberian permafrost. They were discovered in 2018 and have now not only been revived but reproduced.
These roundworms (nematodes), known as Panagrolaimus, have since become the subject of further research, leading to the proposal that one of the nematode varieties represents a new species called Panagrolaimus kolymaensis.
The new research, published in the journal PLOS Genetics on July 27, 2023 by Shatilovich and coworkers, provides more insights into the survival mechanisms of these ancient worms.
The researchers conducting radiocarbon dating using plant material found along with the samples, concluded that Panagrolaimus kolymaensis worms are actually 46,000 years old.
This age places them in the late Pleistocene when woolly mammoth and sabre tooth tigers roamed the world.
The worms were found in a fossilised squirrel burrow more than 120 feet below ice by Russian scientists near the Kolyma river in northeastern Siberia.
They were in a state of suspended metabolism called cryptobiosis.
With cryptobiosis, the organism can live without any metabolism for a period until the conditions are favourable again. All functions including reproduction, development and repair, stop due to the inactivation of the metabolic activities.
Some organisms survive without water for a long period of time m in places where there is nonavailability of water like yeast, mosses, and algae. Similarly, there are others that temporarily suspend metabolic functions when there is a lack of oxygen or a high level of toxins, freezing or boiling temperature in the external environment.
These worms were revived at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science RAS in Russia.
Scientists feel that it would be very helpful to know how the worms adapted and survived for such a long period and in such an extreme environment. It would help us gain knowledge about how life survives such harsh environmental conditions.
By slowly and gently thawing the roundworms, researchers were able to bring these worms back to life, and the worms could wriggle, eat, and reproduce.
One of the worms was bred in a laboratory for 100 generations, as they were found to reproduce parthenogenetically without a male partner. The genetic analysis revealed that the Panagrolaimus worms belong to a new species, named Panagrolaimus kolymaensis, named after the Kolyma River near where they were found.
These nematodes expressed their remarkable ability to suspend life over geological time scales.
Comparative genome analysis between P. kolymaensis and another nematode species, Caenorhabditis elegans, reveals similarities in the molecular toolkit for surviving desiccation and freezing.
The researchers successfully induced the nematodes to enter and exit the dormant state of cryptobiosis using special preparatory cues.
While the findings are intriguing, skepticism about the study’s results are seen regarding the possibility of modern contamination and whether the analysis proves the worms’ age definitively.
Obviously these biological mechanisms are of great interest to human kind because with that knowledge, “suspended animation” of humans till now science fiction, could become a reality. We have always toyed with the idea of creating in the laboratory a live Dianosaur out of dianosaur eggs which are discovered from time to time. But this is human fantasy and nothing close to a real possibility even now because there is a huge difference between reviving single cell organisms and a dianosaur.
Nonetheless, the research sheds light on the remarkable ability of these nematodes to survive extreme conditions over geological time scales, providing insights into their evolutionary processes and survival strategies.
The research holds significance for understanding evolutionary processes and could aid conservation efforts for endangered species, especially in the face of climate change and extreme heat.
Studying how these creatures survive extreme environments in cryptobiosis may provide insights into how animals can adapt, as habitats shift due to changing climates.
To study such ancient organisms and their ability to revive offers valuable knowledge about survival mechanisms and may challenge the notion of extinction if animals can endure for millennia in a dormant state.
They survive because they have developed certain genetic makeup and biochemical mechanisms to do so.
A Delhi University Professor of Zoology, Dr Rita Rath, says, “The revival of the 46,000 years old round worms from Siberian permafrost is incredible. This discovery not only sheds light on their remarkable ability to survive in cryptobiosis but also offers valuable insights into how organisms can adapt to extreme climate conditions over geological timescales.”
She said, “Studying these creatures may hold the key to understanding evolutionary processes and conservation efforts in the face of climate change.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
