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Powerful Life
Arctic moss encapsulated in ice for 1500 years has restart its growth.
Bacteria have been known to be able to recover after centuries of suspended life, but it is the first time that a plant is revived after a millennium and a half.
Mossy banks are a feature of the frozen Antarctic, formed over thousands of years from the accumulation of these tenacious plants that spring to life in the brief southern summer. The oldest banks date back over 5,000 years and are a useful archive for scientists of past climatic conditions.
The researchers did little to the plants, just placing them in an incubator at 17°C, but they took great care to ensure that there was no contamination of their samples from other life forms.
Carbon dating put the age of the newly growing material at 1,530 years.
Bacteria have been known to be able to recover after centuries of suspended life, but it is the first time that a plant is revived after a millennium and a half.
Mossy banks are a feature of the frozen Antarctic, formed over thousands of years from the accumulation of these tenacious plants that spring to life in the brief southern summer. The oldest banks date back over 5,000 years and are a useful archive for scientists of past climatic conditions.
The researchers did little to the plants, just placing them in an incubator at 17°C, but they took great care to ensure that there was no contamination of their samples from other life forms.
Carbon dating put the age of the newly growing material at 1,530 years.