Scientists Revive Ancient Antarctic Moss After it was Frozen for 1,500 Years
Posted on March 17, 2014
Scientists have revived ancient Antarctic moss after it was frozen for over 1,500 years. Previously it was thought moss could also survive being frozen for a maximum 20 years. The ancient moss was revived by researchers from the University of Reading and the British Antarctic Survey.
The researchers took cores of moss from deep in a frozen moss bank they found in the Antarctic. One of the frozen moss cores is pictured below. The scientists sliced the frozen moss cores carefully to prevent contamination. The moss was then placed in an incubator at normal growth temperature and light level. The moss started growing again in just a few weeks.
Professor Peter Convey from the British Antarctic Survey, a co-author of the study, says in a statement, "What mosses do in the ecosystem is far more important than we would generally realise when we look at a moss on a wall here for instance. Understanding what controls their growth and distribution, particularly in a fast-changing part of the world such as the Antarctic Peninsula region, is therefore of much wider significance."
The moss was carbon dated to at least 1,530 years of age. The scientists say a liverwort embedded in organic material at the base of the moss core also started growing again. The research was published here in the journal Current Biology.
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