A worm, which was frozen 46,000 years ago when woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and giant elks were found on the Earth, has been revived by scientists. 
 
The roundworm, which is of a previously unknown species, was in a dormant state, called cryptobiosis, 40 meters (131.2 feet) below the surface in the Siberian permafrost, according to professor emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden as well as a scientist involved in the research. 
 
Organisms, when in a cryptobiotic state, are able to endure the complete absence of water or oxygen and survive high or freezing temperatures as well as extremely salty conditions. Kurzchalia explained that the organisms remain in a state “between death and life,” in which there is a decrease in their metabolic rates to an undetectable level.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vietnamese-woman-found-worms-crawling-under-her-skin-after-consuming-blood-pudding-pictures-surface-582145">Vietnamese woman found worms crawling under skin after consuming blood pudding; pictures surface</a>

“One can halt life and then start it from the beginning. This a major finding,” he stated, further adding that other organisms, who were earlier revived from this state, had survived for decades rather than millennia.

<h2>Worms discovered five years ago in&nbsp;Siberian permafrost</h2>

Scientists from the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Russia five years ago discovered two roundworm species in the Siberian permafrost. 
 
Researcher Anastasia Shatilovich was able to revive two of the worms at the institute by simply rehydrating them with water and then took around 100 worms for further analysis to labs in Germany by transporting them in her pocket. 
 
Researchers further discovered that P. kolymaenis shared “a molecular toolkit” with C. Elegans, which is another organism often used in scientific studies which could allow it to survive cryptobiosis.

Watch:&nbsp;

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The two organisms produce a sugar called trehalose which is likely to enable them to endure freezing and dehydration. 
 
“To see that the same biochemical pathway is used in a species which is 200, 300 million years away, that’s really striking,” stated Philipp Schiffer, research group leader of the Institute of Zoology at the University of Cologne. “It means that some processes in evolution are deeply conserved,” he added. 
 
Schiffer added that there are actionable insights which the experts can glean by studying these organisms. “By looking at and analysing these animals, we can maybe inform conservation biology, or maybe even develop efforts to protect other species, or at least learn what to do to protect them in these extreme conditions that we have now,” he said to CNN.

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A worm, which was frozen 46,000 years ago when woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and giant elks were found on the Earth, has been revived by scientists. The roundworm, which is of a previously unknown species, was in a dormant state, called cryptobiosis, 40 meters (131.

A worm, which was frozen 46,000 years ago when woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and giant elks were found on the Earth, has been revived by scientists. The roundworm, which is of a previously unknown species, was in a dormant state, called cryptobiosis, 40 meters (131.2 feet) below the surface in the Siberian permafrost, according to professor emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden as well as a scientist involved in the research. Organisms, when in a cryptobiotic state, are able to endure the complete absence of water or oxygen and survive high or freezing temperatures as well as extremely salty conditions. Kurzchalia explained that the organisms remain in a state “between death and life,” in which there is a decrease in their metabolic rates to an undetectable level. ALSO READ | Vietnamese woman found worms crawling under skin after consuming blood pudding; pictures surface “One can halt life and then start it from the beginning. This a major finding,” he stated, further adding that other organisms, who were earlier revived from this state, had survived for decades rather than millennia. Worms discovered five years ago in Siberian permafrost Scientists from the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Russia five years ago discovered two roundworm species in the Siberian permafrost. Researcher Anastasia Shatilovich was able to revive two of the worms at the institute by simply rehydrating them with water and then took around 100 worms for further analysis to labs in Germany by transporting them in her pocket. Researchers further discovered that P. kolymaenis shared “a molecular toolkit” with C. Elegans, which is another organism often used in scientific studies which could allow it to survive cryptobiosis. Watch: The two organisms produce a sugar called trehalose which is likely to enable them to endure freezing and dehydration. “To see that the same biochemical pathway is used in a species which is 200, 300 million years away, that’s really striking,” stated Philipp Schiffer, research group leader of the Institute of Zoology at the University of Cologne. “It means that some processes in evolution are deeply conserved,” he added. Schiffer added that there are actionable insights which the experts can glean by studying these organisms. “By looking at and analysing these animals, we can maybe inform conservation biology, or maybe even develop efforts to protect other species, or at least learn what to do to protect them in these extreme conditions that we have now,” he said to CNN. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Scientists revive worm frozen for 46,000 years in Siberian permafrost

Nematodes might look like roundworms, but they are much more than that. Research published on July 27 in the journal PLOS Genetics claims that the Panagrolaimus kolymaensis worms found in Siberia are 46,000 years old, based on the dating of the plant matter found with these nematodes.

Nematodes might look like roundworms, but they are much more than that. Research published on July 27 in the journal PLOS Genetics claims that the Panagrolaimus kolymaensis worms found in Siberia are 46,000 years old, based on the dating of the plant matter found with these nematodes. The research also compares the Siberian worm's survival mechanism with another nematode species, Caenorhabditis elegans. Laboratories around the world use Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. In 2018, scientists discovered and revived two varieties of microscopic nematodes in the Siberian permafrost. They estimated the age of the worms to be 42,000 years. These tiny creatures have become the subject of more research, as scientists believe they represent a new species, Panagrolaimus kolymaensis, named after their habitat Kolyma River. Teymuras Kurzchalia, study co-author and a cell biologist emeritus at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, told Scientific American, "The radiocarbon dating is precise, and we now know that they survived 46,000 years." ALSO READ | Tiny surgical robots to make breakthrough in cancer treatment with magnetic tentacles Panagrolaimus species can survive in environments that expose them to desiccation or freezing, stated Ann Burnell, an emeritus professor of biology at the Maynooth Univerity, Ireland. Cryptobiosis is an organism's ability to suspend its metabolism in harsh situations. The worms will be the most stunning example of cryptobiosis if they are as old as the study suggests. Furthermore, the new study's authors guaranteed they could persuade the nematodes to enter and exit the dormancy-like state of cryptobiosis using "special preparatory cues." The genetic analysis mentioned in the new paper is challenging in the case of P. kolymaensis because they are parthenogenic, meaning females can reproduce without a male. According to Kurzchalia, the team requires some 2,000 to 4,000 worms for one type of genetic analysis. While the common lab species, C. elegans, is easily available, the number is difficult to achieve with P. kolymaensis. ALSO READ | Scientists find ancient ocean water in Himalayas, offer insights into Earth’s past However, some scientists are sceptical of the new study's findings. In 2018, outside researchers raised concerns that the analysed nematodes might be modern contamination. Byron Adam, a biologist at Brigham Young University, was one of those sceptics and remains doubtful about the new work. He argues that the analysis doesn't prove the worms' age, only that of the nearby plant material. "The authors haven't done the work to show that the animals they have recovered are not simply surface contaminants," he said. David Wharton, an emeritus professor of zoology at New Zealand's University of Otago, said the freezing mechanism the researchers tested is unrealistic because it involved drying the nematodes out before abruptly freezing them. However, he said, "I thought it was impressive and interesting work." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Nematode found in Siberia is 46,000 years old, says new study

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Scientists revive worm frozen for 46,000 years in Siberian permafrost

Nematode found in Siberia is 46,000 years old, says new study