Centuries-old frozen plants revived

[Still Waters]

Plants that were frozen during the "Little Ice Age" centuries ago have been observed sprouting new growth, scientists say.

Samples of 400-year-old plants known as bryophytes have flourished under laboratory conditions.

Researchers say this back-from-the-dead trick has implications for how ecosystems recover from the planet's cyclic long periods of ice coverage.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-22656239

[Doug1029]

There are at least two cases of lupine seeds having been germinated after being recovered from 10,000-year-old lemming middens. That's either suspended animation or something very close to it. If not in suspended animation, those seeds would have been respiring at a rate of about two molecules per minute.

Goose-berries have remained alive in a laboratory jar for over 75 years stored at room temperature.

Some plants seems to be able to die, then be resurrected. Maybe the Christians are onto something.

Doug

[pallidin]

Interesting article linked by Still Waters and also the comment from Doug ^^^

Edited May 29, 2013 by pallidin

[Sundew]

Bryophytes are mosses if I remember correctly, and mosses are tough plants. They can be desiccated, sun baked, frozen, etcetera and then revived when placed in a suitable environment. These particular species were already from a cold climate and probably got frozen on a regular basic under normal conditions. No doubt things like lichens and algae could live much longer and still revive when better times came along.

If terraforming other planets ever becomes a reality it will be tough organisms like these, perhaps genetically modified, that likely will be used.

[moonshadow60]

I would love to see what this plant looks like, if it is any different than plants living now. It's a fascinating thought that something from centuries or even longer ago can be resurrected.

[Sundew]

I would love to see what this plant looks like, if it is any different than plants living now. It's a fascinating thought that something from centuries or even longer ago can be resurrected.

It's only 400 years old, almost certainly it is identical to species extant today near the same area.

[Lava_Lady]

Really cool to get a peak so far into the past but I hope we are not resurrecting something we can't handle.

[Doug1029]

name='moonshadow60' timestamp='1369853238' post='4792967'

I would love to see what this plant looks like, if it is any different than plants living now. It's a fascinating thought that something from centuries or even longer ago can be resurrected.

http://www.pnas.org/...0.full.pdf html

Doug

Edited June 1, 2013 by Doug1029

[Doug1029]

It's only 400 years old, almost certainly it is identical to species extant today near the same area.

Here's a link to The Old List:

http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~adk/oldlisteast/

It's a little bit out of date, though. There's an older shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) from southwest Missouri that dates to 1580 (414 years old). There's an eastern red-cedar Juniperus virginana) from Henyretta, Oklahoma that is 605 years old and I have a core from another one in the same area that was 305 years old in 2009.

Doug