Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Reading were able to revive moss frozen for approximately 1,500 years.
To revive the moss, the researchers had to extract cores from moss from a frozen mass of organic matter in the Antarctic, and then put the plant in an incubator where it experienced "ideal growth temperatures and light levels," according a British Antarctic Survey press release.
After a few weeks in those conditions, the moss began to grow.
The researchers used carbon dating techniques to determine the moss is around 1,530 years old.
"This experiment shows that multi-cellular organisms, plants in this case, can survive over far longer timescales than previously thought," said Professor Peter Convey, a researcher from the British Antarctic Survey who helped carryout the research, according to the press release. "These mosses, a key part of the ecosystem, could survive century to millennial periods of ice advance, such as the Little Ice Age in Europe."
The study was conducted thanks to funding help from the Natural Environment Research Council.
Research was published in the journal Current Biology this week.
"Although it would be a big jump from the current finding, this does raise the possibility of complex life forms surviving even longer periods once encased in permafrost or ice," said Convey.
Though the research may have little effect on people who decided to have themselves frozen after dying, like baseball legend Ted Williams, it could affect global warming discussions.
"This work provides further evidence of the low decomposition rate generally attributed to mosses," said lead author Dr. Royce Longton, according to the release. "and strengthens my conviction that the growth of mosses should be encouraged globally to act as a carbon sink and thus reduce global warming."
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