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A wooded ecosystem with mammoths alongside modern species such as arctic hares
Scientists Unearth the Oldest DNA Ever Found
The 2.4-million-year-old environmental DNA fragments collected from permafrost in northern Greenland unlock insights into an ancient ecosystem.
Scientists Unearth the Oldest DNA Ever Found
Scientists Unearth the Oldest DNA Ever Found

The 2.4-million-year-old environmental DNA fragments collected from permafrost in northern Greenland unlock insights into an ancient ecosystem.

The 2.4-million-year-old environmental DNA fragments collected from permafrost in northern Greenland unlock insights into an ancient ecosystem.

permafrost

landscape of frozen river
Worms Frozen for 46,000 Years are the Oldest Known Living Animals
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Aug 15, 2023 | 5 min read
Nematodes buried in Siberian permafrost may be able to stay in a state of suspended animation indefinitely, according to recent findings.
A young arctic fox on green grass
Arctic Greening Won’t Save the Climate—Here’s Why
Donatella Zona, The Conversation | Mar 30, 2022 | 4 min read
The growing season on the tundra is starting earlier as the planet warms, but the plants aren’t sequestering more carbon, a new study finds.
Magnified image featuring a full view of a bdelloid rotifer recovered from permafrost (labeled A) along with two insets: one side view of the organism’s head (labeled B) and a view of its mouthparts (labeled C)
Rotifers Bounce Back After Being Frozen for 24,000 Years
Lisa Winter | Jun 8, 2021 | 2 min read
The hardy animals were pulled from the permafrost in Siberia, giving scientists the opportunity to study how they survive extreme conditions.
Image of the Day: Ancient Horned Lark
Amy Schleunes | Mar 6, 2020 | 1 min read
A complete bird specimen uncovered in northeastern Siberia is radiocarbon dated to be roughly 44,000–49,000 years old.
Warming Permafrost Morphs Microbes into Greenhouse Gas Emitters
Ashley Yeager | Nov 1, 2019 | 5 min read
Insulating tundra soil with snow increased the abundance of microbial species involved in carbon dioxide and methane release.
Neslihan Taş Studies Permafrost Microbes as They’re Roused by a Warming Climate
Shawna Williams | Dec 1, 2017 | 3 min read
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researcher’s work will help predict how the Arctic is responding to climate change—and the global effects of those changes.
Ancient Giant Virus Discovered
Jef Akst | Mar 4, 2014 | 2 min read
A new species of giant virus discovered in the Siberian permafrost, where it’s been buried for 30,000 years, is reincarnated in the lab.
Northern Exposure
Jef Akst | Mar 1, 2014 | 5 min read
Researchers are using snowdrifts to artificially warm Arctic tundra during winter and finding that more carbon is released from the soil than plants can soak up from the atmosphere.
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