New record for oldest living creature - 40,000 years

[Jack B. Nimble]

I don't think you quite understand the situation. The article is focusing on the longterm stasis of organisms (nematodes) that still exist, not some ancient extinct organisms that they are bringing back to life.
Ancient glaciers and permafrost deposits have been naturally melting for centuries in great quantities and releasing whatever frozen organisms might have been frozen in them. However, this all goes on unseen and undocumented so we've had no idea what is actually emerging from all that unseen ice. All they've done here is taken small samples from a know time period and analyzed it in a controlled environment to see what's actually in it.

Actually I do understand. We can debate whether to drill down get samples and thaw to see what may survive. This to presumably prepare to be aware but, on that point I disagree is finding what "may" come.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Actually I do understand. We can debate whether to drill down get samples and thaw to see what may survive. This to presumably prepare to be aware but, on that point I disagree is finding what "may" come.

Huh?
I'm afraid I can't quite understand what point you are trying to make. Can you please rephrase it?

The point I was making is they are not unearthing anything that is not already naturally being unearthed by the forces of nature in a much larger and uncontrolled scale. If there are any dangerous ancient frozen organisms being released from the ground they are and have already been released into our environment long ago.

If you are seriously concerned about new and possibly dangerous organisms being released into our environment you should be closely following what they are doing with CRISPR. I suspect that one day in the not too distant future the worries of what they are doing with this (specifically in China) will cause people to forget all about petty things like global climate change or terrorism.

 

[MitchM]

I'm actually optimistic about what discoveries are to be found in long-frozen soil.
For example, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is resistant to our present range of antibiotics, but there are new types of antibiotics being discovered in soil:
https://www.natureasia.com/en/research/highlight/12369

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I'm actually optimistic about what discoveries are to be found in long-frozen soil.
For example, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is resistant to our present range of antibiotics, but there are new types of antibiotics being discovered in soil:
https://www.natureasia.com/en/research/highlight/12369

I had to laugh at the first paragraph in that article. >> " The discovery of a new antibiotic class from soil bacteria is reported online this week in Nature Microbiology. This class, called malacidins, kills several multidrug-resistant, disease-causing bacteria - including the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin infection in rats."
That will be a great relief for many city folks to know they now have a medicine to successfully treat all the rats in their city with that particular type of skin infection.
Of course, it's not much use to you guys in Alberta, you don't even have any rats.

 

[MitchM]

...
Of course, it's not much use to you guys in Alberta, you don't even have any rats.

...If you exclude politicians.

.