Science & Technology

Scientists resurrect algae that's been dormant for nearly 7,000 years

By T.K. Randall
April 2, 2025 ·  6 comments

The Baltic Sea. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 Egorov.nick Retrieved from sediment samples taken from 250ft beneath the bottom of the Baltic Sea, the algae - which had remained in a state of dormancy for 7,000 years - was recently the subject of a groundbreaking new study by an international team of researchers.

Although the algae - in this case a type of phytoplankton - had been dormant for all this time, it wasn't actually dead. Instead, it had entered into a 'sleep' state with significantly reduced metabolic activity.

By bringing it back to life, the scientists were able to create a living snapshot of ancient Baltic Sea ecology."Such deposits are like a time capsule containing valuable information about past ecosystems and the inhabiting biological communities, their population development and genetic changes," said biologist Sarah Bolius from the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemunde.

Incredibly, despite being dormant for so long, the organisms seemed to be none the worse for wear.

"It is remarkable that the resurrected algae have not only survived 'just so', but apparently have not lost any of their 'fitness', i. e. their biological performance ability: They grow, divide and photosynthesise like their modern descendants," said Bolius.

Source: Gizmodo | Comments (6)

Tags: Algae, Resurrect