A team of scientists led by David Gilichinsky proved 30,000-year-old seeds can still germinate. Gilichinsky and his team dug beneath the layers of ice to salvage fruit buried in squirrel burrows in the Kolyma river in Siberia and carefully transplanted the seeds into growing pots in a laboratory.
After two years in the laboratory and 30,000 years under ice, the plant blossomed and later developed fruits. The species' modern descendent, Silene stenophylla, can be found in the Siberian tundra. Scientists have discovered only a few subtle differences between the modern variation and its ancestor.
Scientists believe there may be vast amounts of information about ancient life trapped beneath the earth's permafrost. This information could be used to support the theory of evolution.
-compiled by Michelle Lim
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