There are many creatures that can be revived after being frozen for tens of thousands of years...｜ Expo Daily

A creature that can be resurrected after being frozen for tens of thousands of years.

Still a lot...

In 2018, scientists resurrected an ancient nematode that had been frozen in the Siberian permafrost for tens of thousands of years, with its life beginnings thought to date back 42,000 years.

In the latest work in 2023, scientists discovered through precise radiocarbon detection technology that in the cryptobiotic state, the metabolic capacity of life will be reduced to an undetectable level, which is equivalent to pressing the pause button on life.

Common examples include a Bacillus spore preserved in the abdomen of a bee for 25 to 40 million years and a lotus seed preserved in an ancient lake from 1,000 to 1,500 years ago, both of which can continue to germinate and restart their suspended lives.

Metazoa such as tardigrades, rotifers and nematodes can also maintain a cryptobiotic state for a long time. Even if they have been frozen for decades or even tens of thousands of years, once they are thawed and return to normal temperature, they can be revived and can eat, drink and reproduce normally.

A nematode from 46,000 years ago. Image source: Shatilovich A, Gade VR, et al. A novel nematode species from the Siberian permafrost shares adaptive mechanisms for cryptobiotic survival with C. elegans dauer larva. PLoS Genet, 2023, 19(7): e1010798.

How could the Taklamakan Desert also experience floods?

Recently, a "desert flood" scene appeared in the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang. Many netizens posted that they encountered floods in the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, which attracted attention. Multiple videos showed that the floods flooded the roads, causing many vehicles to stall and difficult to pass.

So where does this water come from? Although Xinjiang is located deep inland and far from the ocean, floods occur from time to time. The main sources of flood disasters in Xinjiang are melting ice and snow, seasonal heavy rains and river bursting.

On the western edge of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, there is a peak called Muztagh Ata, known as the "Father of Icebergs". As global temperatures rise and temperatures rise in spring and summer, the ice and snow on Xinjiang's icebergs will partially melt, causing the water level in rivers to rise, bringing the risk of floods.

While sand can quickly absorb some water, its water storage capacity is very limited, which means that under extreme precipitation conditions, when the intensity of precipitation in a local area exceeds the infiltration intensity of the desert, floods will form and spread rapidly.

The China Climate Change Blue Book (2024) released by the China Meteorological Administration points out that the global warming trend is still continuing, and the global average temperature will reach its peak in 2023 since meteorological observations were first recorded in 1850. Since warm air contains more water than cold air, once precipitation occurs, the amount of precipitation will be relatively large, which is very likely to cause flooding.

Desert. Image source: veer photo gallery

Meteorites tell me...

Through meteorites, we can trace back many things that happened in the solar system. So meteorites are stars that fell from the sky and are also the most precious gifts that space brings us.

After many years of research, scientists have discovered that meteorites can actually be divided into many categories. According to the content of metallic iron and nickel in meteorites, meteorites can be divided into stony meteorites, iron meteorites, and very beautiful olivine iron meteorites like the one in the picture, which belong to stony iron meteorites.

More than 90% of iron meteorites are iron-nickel metals, and we can see some of its own unique characteristics. These meteorites basically come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, because the orbits of these asteroids are easily disturbed by the orbits of other planets, and they fall to the earth and become meteorites.

Meteorites can not only explore how the solar system came into being, but also help us better understand the moon and Mars. In 2011, the Tissint meteorite landed in Morocco, providing a very good opportunity to study whether Mars once had organic matter or life.

After laboratory analysis, it was found that this sample does contain a lot of carbon-rich substances, which may be related to life. This is the closest evidence we have found so far to the answer to whether there is life on Mars.

Stony-iron meteorites

China must have its own satellite!

In the exhibition room of famous scientists' archives in the Archives of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, there is a letter written to Premier Zhou Enlai. The letter says: "The successful explosion of my country's first atomic bomb marks the stage of rapid progress of my country's science and technology... I would like to express my views and suggestions on the issue of my country's launching of artificial satellites for your reference." Who wrote this letter? What views did he put forward on my country's artificial satellites?

The content is compiled from China Science Popularization Expo Weibo, Science Popularization China, Gezhi Lundao Forum, and the Archives of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

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