A frozen wolf discovered in Siberia turned out to be 44,000 years old. It's so well-preserved that scientists are checking its gut for ancient viruses.

Tech Insider
mummified wolf on a white table surrounded by people in protective white coveralls and masks and gloves
Locals discovered this mummified wolf in the thawing permafrost in Siberia.

North-Eastern Federal University

The mystery of Siberia's strange exploding craters may have finally been solved

Tech Insider
FILE PHOTO: A member of an expedition group stands on the edge of a newly formed crater on the Yamal Peninsula, northern Siberia November 9, 2014 REUTERS/Vladimir Pushkarev/Russian Centre of Arctic Exploration
A member of an expedition group stands on the edge of a newly formed crater on the Yamal Peninsula, northern Siberia

Reuters

A gold miner found a mysterious grapefruit-sized fur ball. It turned out to be a 'perfectly preserved' 30,000-year-old squirrel.

Tech Insider
A stiff ball of brown fur sits in a pair of human hands wearing white surgical gloves.
This ball of brown fur and gnarled legs and claws turned out to be a mummified Arctic ground squirrel.

Yukon Government

Ancient viruses could re-emerge as permafrost melts, posing 'unpredictable threats' to our communities, new study says

Tech Insider
Water drops fall from melting ice.
Ice melts from thawing permafrost in Newtok, Alaska.

The Washington Post/Getty Images

Mountains are collapsing: A Swiss mountain peak fell apart, sending 3.5 million cubic feet of rock into the valley below. Scientists warn climate change could make more mountains crumble.

Tech Insider
A view of the partially collapsed Fluchthorn mountain.
The grey middle peak shown here of Mt. Fluchthorn partially collapsed earlier this year.

Sean Gallup / Staff / Getty Images

Scientists have revived 'zombie' bugs and viruses before that were trapped in ancient ice. One may have been 8 million years old.

Tech Insider : Environment
A man walks through a tunnel formed from crystals of permafrost outside the village of Tomtor.
A man walks through a tunnel formed from crystals of permafrost outside the village of Tomtor.

Maxim Shemetov/REUTERS

A 46,000-year-old worm found in Siberian permafrost was brought back to life, and started having babies

Tech Insider
General morphology of P. kolymaensis, female.
General morphology of P. kolymaensis, female.

PLOS Genetics

ConocoPhillips Wants to Install Chilling Devices in the Arctic to Get More Oil

Gizmodo : Environment

You may have heard: President Biden approved an enormous fossil fuel development in the Alaskan Arctic on Monday.

Scientists revived a 'zombie' virus frozen for 48,500 years in ice. They learned it could still infect other cells.

Tech Insider : Environment
A man walks through a tunnel formed from crystals of permafrost outside the village of Tomtor.
A man walks through a tunnel formed from crystals of permafrost outside the village of Tomtor.

Maxim Shemetov/REUTERS

The ‘Last Ice Area’ Is Already Disappearing

Gizmodo : Environment

This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here.

Subscribe to permafrost