permafrost

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    24,000-Year-Old Microorganism Revived From Frozen Siberian Permafrost

    24,000-Year-Old Microorganism Revived From Frozen Siberian Permafrost

    Scientists in Russia have revived a bdelloid rotifer — a type of multicellular microorganism that’s accustomed to wet environments — after the invertebrate spent 24,000 years frozen 11 feet beneath the Siberian permafrost. According to a new study published Monday in Current Biology, past research has suggested these tiny creatures can slow their metabolisms down […]

    Thawing Permafrost Is Full of Ice-Forming Particles That Could Get Into Atmosphere

    Thawing Permafrost Is Full of Ice-Forming Particles That Could Get Into Atmosphere

    By Jessie Creamean and Thomas Hill The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The Big Idea Permafrost – frozen soil in the far north – is thawing, releasing greenhouse gases and long-lost microbes. But one thing that scientists have not studied extensively is whether permafrost contains certain kinds of particles that […]

    Disastrous Russian Oil Spill Reaches Pristine Arctic Lake

    Disastrous Russian Oil Spill Reaches Pristine Arctic Lake

    A 21,000 tonne (approximately 23,000 U.S. ton) oil spill that prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare an emergency last week has now reached a pristine Arctic lake, and there are concerns it could contaminate the Arctic Ocean. Environmentalists and local officials have raised alarms about the disaster, which they say is the worst of […]