Scientists at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences made news earlier this week when it was announced they successfully revived a 30,000-year-old plant. While carrying out research on the Russian permafrost, the research team discovered an ancient squirrel’s burrow roughly the size of a soccer ball which was buried 125 feet beneath the surface. Inside the burrow they found various things including some hay and some small plant seeds from the species Silene stenophylla. After some high tech tender loving care (and some “clonal micropropagation”) they were able to grow it in a conventional pot, and after a year it blossomed, bore fruit, and dropped seeds. It was as if those 30,000 years had suddenly disappeared and the past was brought back to life. Incredible.
