Aug. 7, 2007 — Microorganisms locked in Antarctic ice for 100,000 years and more came to life and resumed growing when given warmth and nutrients in a laboratory.
Researchers led by Kay Bidle of Rutgers University tested five samples of ice ranging in age from 100,000 years to 8 million years.
"We didn't really know what to expect. We knew that microorganisms were really hardy," Bidle, an assistant professor of marine and coastal sciences, said in a telephone interview.
The findings are reported in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers tested samples of the oldest known ice on Earth and had success at growing bacteria from the younger samples.
Microorganisms from the older ice didn't do as well, growing only very slowly. Some of the oldest microorganisms were watched for as long as a year, he said, compared to the week or so it usually takes to culture bacteria.
Discovery News' James Williams learns how caves offer climate change clues.
Calling the ice cores "gene popsicles," the researchers found evidence of some the most common bacteria still around, including firmicutes, proteobacteria and actinobacteria.
These are microorganisms that have been around a long time, Bidle said, "not something Earth hasn't seen before."
By visiting this site, you agree to the terms and conditions
of our Visitor Agreement. Please read. Privacy Policy.
ATTENTION! We recently updated our privacy policy. The changes are effective as of September 10, 2008.
To see the new policy, click here. Questions? See the policy for the contact information.
