It’s Alive! Worms Revived After 46,000 Years in Siberian Permafrost
Talk about a long nap
. Scientists said they have revived worms buried
in Siberian permafrost for 46,000 years. The half-dozen creatures, a type of nematode
or roundworm
, were last awake when Neanderthals and woolly
mammoths
roamed
the Earth. They survived for millennia in permafrost
by entering a state of suspended animation, according to a paper published Thursday in the journal PLOS Genetics. Genetic testing suggests the worms are a new and possibly extinct species, researchers said. “This paper could make people consider this third condition between life and death,” said Teymuras Kurzchalia, co-author of the study.
tips
revive:使复苏(vive- = life,生命)
nap:打盹
bury:埋葬(a deeply buried memory)
permafrost:永久冻土(permanent frost的缩写)
frost:冷冻
nematode:蠕虫
roundworm:蛔虫
woolly:羊毛的
mammoth:猛犸🦣
roam:漫游;闲逛