Life-Forms "Resurrected" After Millennia in Ice

[thomasallencummins]

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/070806-bacteria-ice.html


"Imagine sticking some bacteria in the freezer and taking them out millions of years later to find that they are still alive.

That would be similar to what happened recently, when scientists brought eight-million-year-old microbes back to life—simply by thawing them."

Though I find this fascinating I wonder. Is it possible that some things need to stay frozen? I can't help but think that one day we may revive a virus or bacteria that might have been the true demise of the dinosaurs or Neanderthal Man and unleash it upon a world that would have otherwise been spared the same fate.

[Avatar]

Hahahaha, always a possibility. What's more likely though is that whatever we thaw will quickly die because of the radically different environment it finds itself in. Viruses and bacteria are usually fragile things.

--A

[thomasallencummins]

avatar said:

Hahahaha, always a possibility. What's more likely though is that whatever we thaw will quickly die because of the radically different environment it finds itself in. Viruses and bacteria are usually fragile things.

--A

I certainly hope you are right but there is no telling what kind of unhappy critters might be found. Some super virus that we've never encountered before and have no defence. I guess we'll never know if we all simply drop dead one day.