French virologists discovered viruses in 30,000-year-old Siberian permafrost that could still infect amoebae.

"Reviving an organism is a lot easier if it never quite died in the first place. In 2012, Russian researchers reported that they found seeds preserved in 32,000-year-old permafrost. Teasing out some tissue from the seeds, the researchers coaxed it to develop into a flower. Earlier this month, French virologists discovered viruses in 30,000-year-old Siberian permafrost that could still infect amoebae. In January, Dr. Weider and his colleagues reported reviving eggs from a Minnesota lake that had been buried for about 700 years. They hatched and grew to be adults."

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