Few forms of life that could catch the dinosaurs.

The secret of longevity.

Some germs can live for millions of years. How not to succumb to old age and live a quarter of a billion years? Some corals live for thousands of years. American lobsters can live to 140. Some turtles exist 250 years. And one mollusk died at age 507 years for manslaughter researchers.

Bristlecone pines can live for thousands of years.

Permafrost.

For a number of organisms the key to longevity - cold. In Siberia, Antarctica, Canada, under a layer of permafrost frozen thousands of years, various bacteria and germs. In 2007, a team at the University of Copenhagen got into the story, finding living bacteria, whose age, presumably, is 500 thousand years. It was the first case when the researchers isolated DNA from such ancient and still active bacteria.

However, two years later, were still found more "older" microbe. According to the examination, his age was 3.5 million years. On the site known as Mammoth mountain (Siberia) Anatoly Brouchkov team found the microbe now known as Bacillus F.

It is assumed that the microbe will help to develop a vaccine that extends the life. Currently being tested on mice and flies.

Scientists are trying to explain such high life expectancy is the fact that the frozen soil and the tightness is not Dvali opportunities to share bacteria. Even if that were to happen, place in new cells. The impossibility of reproducing in combination with permafrost helped to preserve the organisms to the present day.

The risk of longevity.

If the bacteria have managed to survive in stasis for millions of years, cannot be sluchaty the possibility that the first cells and DNA on our planet came from another planet, system or even galaxy.

Long-lived bacteria can become a danger to all mankind. It is possible that under multi-year ice hidden ancient viruses that are immune to existing drugs. In 2014, by the way, at the depth of 30 meters under the ice was discovered the giant virus Pithovirus sibericum, whose size is greater than 1.5 micrometer. At the time of the study, the virus "thawed" and has again become contagious. The person should not be afraid of this type, as it only attacks single-celled amoebae, but the prospect of the discovery of the deadly virus is still there.

Pithovirus sibericum