CR
Cryospheric Sciences

mariascheel

Did you know… about worms surviving in permafrost for at least 46000 years?

Did you know… about worms surviving in permafrost for at least 46000 years?

Lately permafrost makes the news more and more because of its enormous carbon stocks and its vulnerability to climate change. While permafrost greenhouse gas budget calculations are complex and harbour an ever-growing research community, its microbial ecology is still on the rise. A recent star are tiny roundworms that survived frozen in permafrost for 46’000 years. Take a short dip into this new ...[Read More]

It’s getting hot in here: Ancient microbes in thawing permafrost

It’s getting hot in here: Ancient microbes in thawing permafrost

Did you know that the oldest organism on Earth is believed to be a microorganism found in 3-million-year-old permafrost in Siberia? There, it was living at a cosy average temperature of -10 °C at 14 m depth. Or did you hear that some other Arctic soil microorganisms can happily live at extreme temperatures down to -40 °C? Scientists often use these “extreme” microorganisms to get an idea on how ex ...[Read More]