https://news.sky.com/story/ancient-worms-revived-after-46-000-years-12929066
Imagine that .. born in the year -43977*, died in 2023. Creatures that were alive when the neanderthals roamed the Earth, alive in the present.
This was an extinct species to most intents and purposes, but now new worms have been bred from them.
*approximately
Very impressive. But it sounds like the beginning of a horror film when the thawed out worms get into our brains and turn us into flesh-eating zombies.
Fascinating stuff, however it's modern earthworms which seem to be endangered now, particularly in Scotland. I watched an article recently which discussed the flatworm invasion. I didn't think too much about it until I dug over a part of the garden a few days later. I didn't find a single worm. My friends used to visit me when we planned a spot of fishing as there were so many here so I'm concerned something serious has occurred. The zombie virus link in the same article above is also a bit scary, although as they have been lying dormant and not exposed to our antivirus medicine, they wouldn't have resistance to these drugs. The thawing out of the permafrost arras on Earth will wreak havoc. Scientists are trying to establish grazing herds of animals in areas of tundra in an effort to reflect the sun's energy. I wonder what a crystal ball would show for 2123 if we could have a look.
Mind-blowing - how many generations of their descendants have lived and died in the meantime?
On the other hand, that time period is tiny geologically speaking, so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.
;)