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Microbes Alive After Being Frozen for 32,000 Years

Posted by samzenpus on from the stasis dept.

An anonymous reader writes "LiveScience is reporting on a new type of bacteria that after being frozen 32,000 years in the Arctic was ready to swim, eat and multiply instantly upon being thawed. Researchers are excited because they're the sort of microbes that might thrive in the ice sea announced on Mars yesterday. The instant revival abilities mean a future mission, if it found anything on Mars, could conceivably culture it and bring it back alive. Maybe NASA could market them as Martian Sea Monkeys."

12 of 527 comments (clear)

  1. We're all dead!! by StikyPad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hasn't anyone ever read Andromeda?? Don't thaw them out!!

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    1. Re:We're all dead!! by Mr.+Capris · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't worry, by the third mutation or so it stops killing you and only erodes rubber...although it could go back any time now...

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    2. Re:We're all dead!! by hexium · · Score: 5, Funny

      Opening Slashdot today, I quickly scanned over the articles and saw "Microsoft Alive After Being Frozen for 32,000 Years".

    3. Re:We're all dead!! by antic · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hey, 29995 BC called. It wants its microbes back.

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      'Thats they exact same thing a banana wrench monkey.'
  2. Mmm... microbe babes! by FunWithHeadlines · · Score: 5, Funny
    "bacteria that after being frozen 32,000 years in the Arctic was ready to swim, eat and multiply instantly upon being thawed.

    Wouldn't you be ready to eat and, uh, multiply if you had been without for 32,000 years?

  3. Fark headline? by Renraku · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can imagine the fark headline in a few years.

    NASA scientists market Martian microbes as 'Martian sea monkies'. Hilarity ensues.

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    1. Re:Fark headline? by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think the notorious "What could possibly go wrong?" tagline might be more appropriate :)

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  4. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The number of years isn't rounded to 32,768? And you call this a geek site?

  5. Uh oh... by nebaz · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's Encino Paramecium

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  6. Have you *never* seen by OneArmedMan · · Score: 4, Funny

    this movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/ The Thing.!?

    Sometimes its a good idea to leave that frozen stuff the way you found it.

  7. First thing the microbes did upon waking up... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    take a really long piss.

  8. New type? by Orlando · · Score: 4, Funny

    a new type of bacteria that after being frozen 32,000 years

    This is obviously a meaning for the word new I hadn't previously come across

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