What could go wrong? Ancient life forms awaken after 40,000 years in permafrost

[Hornius Emeritus 12450]

Hmmmm ......


 

Quote

for a few exceptional species, thawing ice caps and permafrost are starting to reveal another narrative - one of astonishing biological resilience.

Researchers in a warming Arctic are discovering organisms, frozen and presumed dead for millennia, that can bear life anew. These ice age zombies range from simple bacteria to multicellular animals, and their endurance is prompting scientists to revise their understanding of what it means to survive.

 

"You wouldn't assume that anything buried for hundreds of years would be viable," said La Farge, who researches mosses at the University of Alberta.

In 2009, her team was scouring Teardrop's margin to collect blackened plant matter spit out by the shrinking glacier. Their goal was to document the vegetation that long ago formed the base of the island's ecosystem.

"The material had always been considered dead. But by seeing green tissue, "I thought, 'Well, that's pretty unusual'," La Farge said about the centuries-old moss tufts she found.

She brought dozens of these curious samples back to Edmonton, lavishing them with nutrient-rich soils in a bright, warm laboratory. Almost a third of the samples burst forth with new shoots and leaves.

"We were pretty blown away," La Farge said. The moss showed few ill effects of its multi-centennial deep-freeze.

https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-plants-and-animals-reawaken-after-40-000-years-of-the-deepest-icy-slumbers

[Prepuce of Doom 21053]

Big fucking deal.

Now if it was Antarctica, I may feel differently.

[clapclapclap 9000]

Many miles away

Something crawls to the surface

Of a dark Scottish loch

[retread 2951]

Only one way to be sure

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by retread

[Vito Andolini 9124]

I didn’t bother to read the article, but I am willing to expose my ignorance henceforth (Welcome to America!). 

It doesn’t seem too other worldly to imagine spores or seeds, even thousands of years old, sealed in a protective permafrost, to then retain some viable biologic matter that could then potentially be activated with thawing, sunlight and moisture. Not likely, but not impossible, but I guess it’s newsworthy.

I'm betting those fucking weeds in my rock garden are a descendant. 

[HenryJames 66037]

[wood 11225]

Meh. What are you worried about?

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by wood

[Guest Lobo]

This totally jives with my understanding of the Southern Baptist Faith, so to summarize...Ain't Scared

[Neonmoon 38129]

[gernblansten 3196]

I, for one, welcome our 40,000 year old recently awakened ancient life form overlords.

[Orange&White 5522]

Which crevasse?

[Prepuce of Doom 21053]

40 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

I didn’t bother to read the article, but I am willing to expose my ignorance henceforth (Welcome to America!). 

It doesn’t seem too other worldly to imagine spores or seeds, even thousands of years old, sealed in a protective permafrost, to then retain some viable biologic matter that could then potentially be activated with thawing, sunlight and moisture. Not likely, but not impossible, but I guess it’s newsworthy.

I'm betting those fucking weeds in my rock garden are a descendant. 

A buddy of mine was once convinced (and perhaps still believes) that psilocybin spores are intergalactic lifeforms, progenitors of carbon-based life, and/or probes bearing the gift of metaphysical enlightenment sent by alien civilizations. 

[ztejas 43411]

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

8 minutes ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

A buddy of mine was once convinced (and perhaps still believes) that psilocybin spores are intergalactic lifeforms, progenitors of carbon-based life, and/or probes bearing the gift of metaphysical enlightenment sent by alien civilizations. 

Yeah he's 100% right.... like ......... you don't believe that ??

[Hornius Emeritus 12450]

12 minutes ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

A buddy of mine was once convinced (and perhaps still believes) that psilocybin spores are intergalactic lifeforms, progenitors of carbon-based life, and/or probes bearing the gift of metaphysical enlightenment sent by alien civilizations. 

 

Of course, he was taking mushrooms at the time of this revelation, so it's understandable. 

[Prepuce of Doom 21053]

8 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

 

Of course, he was taking mushrooms at the time of this revelation, so it's understandable. 

He also maintained this belief when not taking mushrooms. 

[HenryJames 66037]

25 minutes ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

A buddy of mine was once convinced (and perhaps still believes) that psilocybin spores are intergalactic lifeforms, progenitors of carbon-based life, and/or probes bearing the gift of metaphysical enlightenment sent by alien civilizations. 

[hayden_horn 11362]

so this is how the zombie apocalypse starts. time to start stocking up

[WBT 20561]

X-Files already did this

[52-80 19147]

3 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I didn’t bother to read the article, but I am willing to expose my ignorance henceforth (Welcome to America!). 

It doesn’t seem too other worldly to imagine spores or seeds, even thousands of years old, sealed in a protective permafrost, to then retain some viable biologic matter that could then potentially be activated with thawing, sunlight and moisture. Not likely, but not impossible, but I guess it’s newsworthy.

I'm betting those fucking weeds in my rock garden are a descendant. 

You don't have to imagine them.  Armybrat probably has his 50000 year old spilled seeds locked up in permafrost somewhere

[Rhyners 2]

16 hours ago, Lobo said:

This totally jives with my understanding of the Southern Baptist Faith, so to summarize...Ain't Scared

Jibes. You jive turkey

[Trey3216 15343]

18 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I didn’t bother to read the article, but I am willing to expose my ignorance henceforth (Welcome to America!). 

It doesn’t seem too other worldly to imagine spores or seeds, even thousands of years old, sealed in a protective permafrost, to then retain some viable biologic matter that could then potentially be activated with thawing, sunlight and moisture. Not likely, but not impossible, but I guess it’s newsworthy.

I'm betting those fucking weeds in my rock garden are a descendant. 

[Jerry Callo 8698]

So this is how it ends.  Some Canadian moss expert starts fucking around with ice age moss.

[Trey3216 15343]

1 minute ago, Jerry Callo said:

So this is how it ends.  Some Canadian moss expert starts fucking around with ice age moss.

Yep.  She’ll be spreading The Purple Death via the world airline routes within weeks.  I’m gonna go stock up on ammo, beans, rice and rain collection systems.  

[SquishMitten 10403]

Not a scientist, but I guess I always assumed bacteria, or other simple life forms, could travel here on an asteroid. And space is colder than the   Arctic. Seems like this just proves that theory. I mean, we already know we can freeze our own biological materials for a later date. Not surprising at all that there’s something more resilient than sperm out there.

[RDCanecutter 26381]

It is absolutely necessary, for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of earth’s dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be let alone; lest sleeping abnormalities wake to resurgent life, and blasphemously surviving nightmares squirm and splash out of their black lairs to newer and wider conquests.

[LonghornD 49]

19 hours ago, WBT said:

X-Files already did this

Yep. Beat me to it.

[Damor 1236]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

It is absolutely necessary, for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of earth’s dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be let alone; lest sleeping abnormalities wake to resurgent life, and blasphemously surviving nightmares squirm and splash out of their black lairs to newer and wider conquests.

In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

[ztejas 43411]

3 hours ago, Trey3216 said:

Yep.  She’ll be spreading The Purple Death via the world airline routes within weeks.  I’m gonna go stock up on ammo, beans, rice and rain collection systems.  

I knew I got that external hard drive bay for some reason.

Is 300 gigs of porn enough you guys think? 

[ztejas 43411]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

It is absolutely necessary, for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of earth’s dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be let alone; lest sleeping abnormalities wake to resurgent life, and blasphemously surviving nightmares squirm and splash out of their black lairs to newer and wider conquests.

Lovecraft is that you?

[HRSchenker 2268]

Someone please show this story to Ted Williams' family.

[Guest Lobo]

"Impossible!  40,000 years?!?  Erroneous!" 

-The Religious Right

 

"Then you're really not gonna like what happens next."

-The Rest of Us

[ztejas 43411]

2 hours ago, Lobo said:

"Impossible!  40,000 years?!?  Erroneous!" 

-The Religious Right

 

"Then you're really not gonna like what happens next."

-The Rest of Us