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