Scientists have discovered a Bdelloid rotifer, a tiny worm, that came back to life which was once thought to be a fossil. 

Bdelloid rotifer

Bdelloid rotifer:

Bdelloidea is a class of Rotifer animals including freshwater animals that are cosmopolitan in nature.Bdelloid rotifers typically live in watery environments and have an incredible ability to survive.


Structure of rotifer

The so-called fossil that came to life is a centre of keen interest of scientists because it is very rare for a multicellular organism to come back to life after being frozen for more than 24,000 years.This micro-organism is said to be reproducing asexually after being preserved in the permafrost of Siberia for 24000 years.The Carbon dating reveals the age of bdelloid rotifer specimen between 23,960 and 24,485 years old.

Scientists say that it is like fiction for a multicellular organism to remain in a frozen state for thousands of years and turn back to life.But it is important to note that bdelloids are capable of surviving through the harsh environmental conditions and preserve their lives in the absence of oxygen, food, and water by shutting down their metabolism in a process called 'cryptobiosis'.

This phenomenon of the resurrection of this specimen provides a whole new direction to the scientific studies on multicellular organisms.

Where we can learn more about preservation of human organs.


The takeaway is that a multicellular organism can be frozen and stored as such for thousands of years and then return back to life -- a dream of many fiction writers," Mr Malavin said in the statement.

"Of course, the more complex the organism, the trickier it is to preserve it alive frozen and, for mammals, it's not currently possible. Yet, moving from a single-celled organism to an organism with a gut and brain, though microscopic, is a big step forward."

The study, published in Current Biology, also found the found the animals could withstand the formation of ice crystals that happens during slow freezing, suggesting that it has some mechanism to protect all body parts from extreme low temperatures.