After lying frozen for 24,000 years in the permafrost lands of northeastern Siberia, a worm has come back to life and reproduced asexually.
According to this Reuters report, this tiny, ancient animal called the 'bdelloid rotifer' was found by scientists in the soil taken from the river Alazeya in Russia's Yakutia region.
This multicellular organism is found in freshwater habitats across the world. It has the ability to withstand extreme cold. Previous research suggests that it could survive for a decade when frozen at -20 degrees Celsius.
This new case was detailed in a study in the journal 'Current Biology'. In fact, this instance sets the records for the bdelloid rotifer's longest recorded survival period in a frozen state.
The organism was recovered from samples that were taken from 3.5 metres below ground dated from between 23,960 and 24,485 years ago, the study said.
This news has surprised netizens who are welcoming the worm back to life with puns and jokes. The pessimists of Twitter are sending their sympathies to the little worm for bearing with the world as it is currently.
While Twitterati try to guess how the worm feels right now, here are some fo the most hilarious responses to the news that tickle your funnybones.
Laugh away!
