Scientists have brought 41,000-year-old worms frozen in Arctic ice back to life.
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The ancient nematode worms were found buried in the Siberian permafrost, which is melting due to climate change, and researchers were able to reawaken two different species, despite the critters being known to grow a coating that protects against severe temperatures.
Tatiana Vishnivetskaya, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, told the National Post: ''[They are] very similar to bacteria you can find in cold environments [today].
''Of course we were surprised and very excited. They may last any number of years if their cells stay intact.''
Gaetan Borgonie, a zoologist from the Extreme Life Isyensya in Belgium, added: ''[It's] a huge surprise, if they survived 41,000 years, I have no idea what the upper limit is. These buggers survive just about everything.''