Creatures frozen for 32,000 years still alive

[Mr. McD]

NASA described the newfound critter as "the first fully described, validated species ever found alive in ancient ice."

"They immediately started swimming when the ice melted," Hoover told LiveScience, adding that the cryopreserved bacteria were instantly ready to eat and multiply.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7019473

[ewagner]

1. If I were into tinfoil.......

I'd say that those folks at NASA were "innoculating" us for some other news....

first, they tell us that they're pretty sure that there is water and life on Mars.....

now, they tell us that deep frozen organisms can come back to life "almost instantly" after being frozen for 32,000 years.....


:tinfoilhat:

[sarcasmo]

2. This will drive the Right Wing Religous nuts crazy, LMFAO.

They will say Science is making this story up.

[aden_nak]

5. Clearly, those scientists just put the comma in the wrong place.

'Cause everyone knows the Earth is less than 5,000 years old.

Seriously, though, is anynoe else a little bit less than thrilled about a 32,000 year old virus immediately thawing and trying to multiply? :P Sorry, I just got done reading Darwin's Children by Greg Bear.

[Occulus]

3. Very intersting.

Although I think if there is life in Europa's oceans, it's something more evolved than bacteria. If life had appeared there, it would likely adapt to the conditions and evolve even as life did here. I'm not saying there's anything intelligent in any way (although that would be an astonishing surprise, wouldn't it?), but there could very well be 'something' there larger than bacteria.

We won't know until we go and look. I'd support a robotic mission to Europa sooner than I would support a manned mission to Mars.

Something from the article sparked my imagination a bit:

"Life is far more diverse, and far more resistant to conditions we consider hostile, than was thought possible only a decade or two ago," Hoover said. "Studying these organisms helps us understand that life may be far more widespread in the cosmos than we previously imagined."

Could any form of life have evolved in space itself?

[aden_nak]

6. It might be possible.

So long as said life were able to overcome the obvious limitations of a zero-atmosphere environment. Obviously, the temperature is a big one. But perhaps the more difficult item would be the lack of, well. . . anything. Every form of life on this planet requires some form of sustinance, and most somewhat advanced forms of life require a process for creating energy that involves drawing in gasses from the atmosphere.

So in the cold dead of space? Meh, unlikely. But in orbit around a larger body, or perhaps in a nebula (which is itself a huge gasseous cloud), perhaps. Wouldn't that be kinda freaky, a species with no concept of a "planet" or any limitation of that sort. Quite literally, space fish.

[InvisibleTouch]

8. Don't know about evolving in deep space, but...

...I don't consider it at all unlikely that there are species who can enter a dormant stage and drift from planet to planet, seeding life as they go. It's only a more extreme version of what's just been reported about these Earth bacteria.

[fresnobill314]

4. Speaking of frozen creatures....

The same could be said for the roman catholic church.

[aden_nak]

7. Nah. Unlike the RCC, once the bacteria thawed, it showed signs of life.

[arcane1]

9. fascinating

:thumbsup:

[Festivito]

10. Instantly ready to eat. Ummm, Yumm. Frozen dinners.

Or was that frozen diners.

BTW: The fundementalist creationists will just KNOW the scientists are wrong about the date. No ballistics necessary. That is until one side tries to prove itself to the other and both sides feel hurt for reasons they WILL NOT ADDRESS with each other, instead having a rediculous shouting match.