Presumed? It was until now.

This plant isn't extinct. It's modern version still grows in eastern Siberia. According to the article, it's changed little over the millennia.

I thought that the earth was only 6,000 years old?

I hope one day they will recreate woolly mammoths and saber tooth cats from frozen DNA... and maybe an ice age chick or two...

Haven't these people seen Jurrasic Park?

This sounds like a bunch of bad Mojo.

You beat me to it. I have a title for the movie " Jurrasic Geraniums ". T Rose doesn't want Miracle Grow. It wants to hunt the guy who sprayed it. Oh well, this finally gives Republicans a chance for what they really want, '' Robo Reagan ". They'll have to get an amber piece from Culver City with a mosquito stuck in it.

@Behind_Enemy_Lines_in_Utah

I thought that the earth was only 6,000 years old?

And I thought trolls would be out baiting on a thread like this. Oh, wait... here you are.

Max^108 - I think your comment about reviving some ice chicks reveals your real motives. You want Paleo Porn. I can see the titles now, "Neander Nookie ", '' The Ice Man Really Cometh ", and " Quest for Hire".

10 Million Years BC......Maybe they can revive Raquel Welch's career too.

"Gubin voiced hope that the Russians will be the first to find some frozen animal tissue that could be used for regeneration."

The Russians have already recovered Wooly Mammoths frozen in Permafrost, and I understood they were already working on this.

Yes, I would like to see with my own eyes the paleo chicks who kept my ancestors happy and warm during the Ice Age. Were they hairy and wild? And what kind of boobs did they have? It is a purely scientific curiosity. I suspect that they were really good mates and worthy companions, something definitely worth re-creating...

A day is to a thousand years as a thousand years is to a day.

Hey Max let's go check out some Neanderthal babes. I heard they were easy. So easy the homo sapiens bred the Neanderthals right out of existence.

Waj... I think you are right. The Neanderthal women fell for the less hairy, weaker but smarter H.sapiens males. And the rest is history... leading to the present day women preferences and further effemination of H.sapiens males.

I'd hate to think I got effeminated. Less hairy, yes, but not effeminate.

Cool down. What if this plant is one that NEEDS to be revived? What if the plant was made extinct by careless eazrly man and not natural causes? What if science is going to make leaps and bounds in medicine now, due to learning great new things from this?

The Earth is going to change, like it or not. I don't feel that this single little plant is the turning point for the worst case on earth.

Try and look at you glass as half FULL sometime, instead of being so pessamistic!

Jaybee, I agree with you. This plante does not know that it has not existed for 30,000 years. In the movie, Jurassic Park, the statement was made that the plantes that were grown on the island don't know where they are and are still as aggressive as they were back they exsisted. I've read reports that scientist are trying to clone a mammoth. Why bring back aggressive species that has died and become extinct?

Aggressive... plant?

Yep aggressive.. you know those groundcovers like clover that you cannot kill off? You never know what damage might result from this formerly extinct plant.

and what happens when they regen a plant that gives off poison... anthrax anyone?

This plant isn't extinct, just this particular specimen was generated using very old material. That's the point of the article.

However, I am inclined to agree that resurrecting ancient plant species is a rather reckless thing to do.

Or what if a previously extinct plant gives us a helpful enzyme or something that can cure diseases? We just don't know. That's what this type of experimentation is about.

That doesn't mean it doesn't have risks. I doubt these scientists are going to go throw this plant out into the environment and just hope everything goes well. They understand the implications of introducing a new species to an environment, and the disaster it can cause. Look at all the problems of transplanting non-native plants an animals into environments, whether it is accidental or intentional.

So while this technology can be helpful, it can also be harmful... so extreme care needs to be taken.

Hence why I think they are keeping it in a lab. Didn't the article mention that the descendents of the plant were still around? They don't seem like they're killing anyone.

I'm sincerely hoping for the return of the Giant Hogweed... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwyBWjfFaM

Re "aggressive" plant: think kudzu.

MagnoliaSims - Just because the decendents are around, doesn't mean the ancestor wasn't dangerous.
If you look at most animals, their ancient counterpart was much larger, more ferocious and deadlier.
Who knows if the ancient variety of this plant didn't secrete a neurotoxin? The point is you don' t know until you know and then it's too late. OK in this case it would appear that the plant is pretty harmless. This seems to me to be vanity science. Let's so it because we can. What's the point? Why bring back a sabertooth tiger? Why bring back the Wooly Manmoth? Just to prove that they could do it first. Then the next thing you know some old dude with a cane topped with amber is introducing the world to the first living Dinosaurs and we're fighting velociraptors with flashlights in the jungle.

kool ...volka for everyone

First of all - I don't see in the article where this plant was extinct. Certainly, versions of this plant still exist. Second - what could possibly be affected by a small plant? It's not like it takes in oxygen and puts out toxic cyanide or anything - plants have pretty much worked like plants for far, far longer than 30000 years. If it did put out a toxin, would not it have caused planetary extinction 30000 years ago? And anyways, how does an isolated plant in a lab transmit DNA into the world anyways? And finally, people around the globe are hybridizing plants all the time. Who is to say that one of these is not the next aggressive plant? In fact, the horticulture trade creates aggressive plants all the time. I am just aghast at the scientific ignorance that runs rampant in this country.

So for the fear mongering of that evil jurassic park plant (not) the human thought is to just kill it? Maybe these are the things we need to do to stop global warming and learn to control the earth in ways to save it.

jaybee-3939675

Did anyone even think to consider the possible ramifications of reviving this plant? No, of course not;...

Didn't they jaybee? And you know this how? Because you are so much smarter and more clever than people able to revive a 30,000 year old plant right? These people could not possibly match your incredible intellect so naturally they would never even consider something that only you are smart enough to figure out. Let me speak for everyone here when I say thank you for gracing the world with your presence. <end sarcasm>

If they start here, where will they stop?

@Xina the Awesome

Who knows if the ancient variety of this plant didn't secrete a neurotoxin?

Well the fact that squirrels harvested them and kept the seeds and fruits in their burrows would be one clue. durrrrrrr

It doesn't have to give off a toxin or some nerve gas, etc....the point is we really don't know how this plant will interact with our environment and with us in particular....there are things present in our environment now that were not present 30,000 years ago....its not so much the plant in and of itself, but the interactions this plant will have with our atmosphere and all of the various crap that we have spewed into it over the years....same with the water....there may be traces of things in the water that were not there 30k years ago....

More care should be taken....just because we CAN do something doesn't mean that we SHOULD do something....crap like this puts us further and further down what is already a very slippery slope....trying to resurrect crap that shouldn't be here at this point in time...whether you have faith in God, believe the theory of Evolution or anything in between....this stuff is extinct for a reason....

Cool, Clone the Mammoth and raise it as a gentle giant. Imagine how big the steaks would be. Sounds like a pretty good food source. Lots of hungry people out there.

Guys....they're not reintroducing this plant into our environment...it's being kept in a lab for more observation. See, this is something people call "scientific progress." Chill out.

Aggressive... plant?

You haven't seen Little Shop of Horrors, have you?

Well I have to say this is very cool. Hopefully they can find some good uses for this technology and apply it appropriately. I agree there certainly could be some risks and some things like recreating a mammoth I think are better left undone but still there should be some useful applications for this. At the end of the day everything has a balance and we need to do our best to help maintain that balance. This could be a technology that can help keep that balance or throw it out of whack. With great power comes great responsibility and it is time we do a better job of remembering this and understand too, that sometimes you can't or shouldn't change something no matter what.

@BReal2010

It doesn't have to give off a toxin or some nerve gas, etc....the point is we really don't know how this plant will interact with our environment and with us in particular....

Did I miss the part of the story that said they plan on releasing the plant into the environment? You don't think they'd maybe do a little follow up on anything they recover before tossing it out in the trash or providing it to the local nursery/pet shop?

....just because we CAN do something doesn't mean that we SHOULD do something....

And if some anceint plant is contains the compound that could cure cancer, what then? Oh well? The chances of something incredibly positive being discovered are every bit as possible as are the chances of something incredibly negative. These things are being done in the lab not in someones shed in their backyard. My God, do you check under your bed for the boogieman before you turn in for the night?

Try this, Google "Invasive Species" and see what can happen when you introduce a plant or animal into a habitat it is not native to. And given that the plants and animals in question here have been extinct for 30,000 years, I would hazard a guess that their native habitat is no where to be found on earth today.

Oh and in case you haven't heard; LOTS of bad things "escape" from labs. All that needs to happen is for a seed pod or some pollen to hitch a ride on a scientist's lab coat.

Lloyd - Good One. Audrey Junior WAS a pretty aggressive little sucker, Huh? The original was good, but the re-make with Rick MORANIS was better. Peace.

FEED ME, I'm Starving.....

Worries the stuffin' out of me, next they'll be genetically modifying the plant, lacing it with man-made chemicals and nutrients and placing it on my dinner plate!

This plant is not extinct. It said right in the article that this plant grows all over Siberia, that's how they know it looks the same now as it did then. It's called reading the article you should try it.

The original was good, but the re-make with Rick MORANIS was better. Peace.

You couldn't beat a young Jack Nicholson, though. He had it going on back then even.

@Xina the Awesome

Oh and in case you haven't heard; LOTS of bad things "escape" from labs. All that needs to happen is for a seed pod or some pollen to hitch a ride on a scientist's lab coat.

You're right, I haven't heard. Why don't you enlighten me by providing some specific examples of "bad things" escaping from labs.

jaybee-3939675 your right! We don't know what our actions may bring- If you procreate your baby may be the next HITLER. Even doing something as simple as going to taco bell- you may eat a bean burrito that mutates one of your sperm/egg causing the next evolutionary leap in mankind! Maybe the EVOLUTIONARY LEAP THAT MAKES MANKIND EVIL!!! EVERYBODY. STOP.... DONT. DO. ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!1 AHHHHHHHHHHH

The earth is already in a huge mess. THe biggest problem is loss of species. Bringing new species in can only be beneficial for the ecosystem at this point. It may result in some problems for humans (e.g. their crops) but at this point the planet is what worries me more.

Wow. You kids... You're kids, right? You paranoid ones?

Listen kids, you do have to be careful--it's a jungle out there. However, try to enjoy life while you can. We're all going to die sooner or later.

Lovely indeed. I predict that the next time we read about this it will be on the side panel of a 80 pound bag of "Weed 'n Feed" after a brief stint as "Elenor var. first age" courtesy of some seed co.

Not extinct, just buried in the permafrost. The article says the modern day version of the plant is similar to the one they created. Hmmmmmmmm? I just wonder HOW similar? Maybe EXACTLY.....:O

Didn't anybody notice that this plant is 300,000 and not 30,000 years old ???

And Xena - scientists do not really wear their lab coats outside their labs. The last time something "escaped" from a lab was when some PETAimbeciles freed some monkeys from a lab where they were being treated for a desease they had brought with them from Africa. I, for one, think the Russian scientists did a great job.

out in the woods - The article said the plant was found in permafrost 30,000 to 32,000 years old. Please show where it says the plant was 300,000 years old.

LTFR. No where in the article did it say the plant was extinct.

OH MY GOODNESS!!! LMAO!!! Thanks for the laugh!!!

You should have let your husband sleep...lol

That's what you get for hanging out in bars. Next time maybe you will listen to your mother.

Well...there have been studies to prove we have already produced more offspring than the world can sustain.....?

They have been doing that for a while now. Genetic testing and engineering in animals, plants, and microorganisms is not a new concept!

The war mongers will take care of that 1/3 of mankind, not a little OLD plant.

Jurassic Park anyone??? LOL

...you are saying that like it is a bad thing...

Techinically, wiping out a lot of humanity would be a good thing

carlito - As long as it's not YOU, Right?

As harsh as this is, and it would suck, but there's already too many of us and we could use a good culling.

Well just curious, your speculation is a tad late. In the last few years the idiots went to an alaskan burial ground, dug up and revived the spanish flu. Yep, the one that wiped out a large portion of mankind in 1919, including my grandfather.

Whoever thinks that scientists have any brains needs to think again.

Ah, why should I care, I am 73, already lived long enough and not likely to last much longer. Make your own bed.

Those brainless scientists you refer to are the reason you have reached 73!

Back in 1919 the average age a man lived to was 47. Check it out on Google unless they are on your list of idiots too.

Gotta love how compassionate the environmental community has become. When you start believing that humankind could use a good "culling" it might be time to do some introspection. It's real easy to say some nonsense like that but would you root for the deaths of your children or your parents or your spouse. "Well no but the polar bears..." shut up. What idiocy.

Just curious

There are WAY too many of us so.......

fossafun - Start issuing Dr. Kivorkian gift certificates, good for one visit.

Or ......we could just have a nice, honest discussion about our numbers so future parents understand there IS an issue and, hopefully make small family choices for the good of all humanity.... and then- we don't need any crazy "culling" or creepy doctors AND we can save some polar bears too

(or am I being just too positive and hopeful for this crowd?)

fossafun - I agree my friend. I think SOME people are already paying attention to what you are saying. In the last generation most families had 4 to 6 kids, even more. Now days you see one or two, three max. We just need to educate some of the other countries in the world in birth control, I think there IS an effort though. The only thing is getting everybody onboard. You have a nice day.

@TN CAT

I don't see a lot wrong with plants...but mammoths? What the heck are they going to do with one?

Surely you can't honestly believe they are going to revive mammoths so that they can reintroduce them into their past habitats.

I think we need an Ice Age for that.

WHat else are they going to do with them? Grow them so they can kill them and dissect them? Or are they going to confine them to zoos? That's lovely for them now, isn't it?

Yes because Mammoths would live in Africa..

World is warming.

Mammoths would not survive the heat.

As stated above; Ice Age needed to maintain them.

Oh Jurrassic Park is just around the corner, they already performed it on Dolly and other sheep. Dontchu worry, I feel Velociraptors in our future.

@Mr R

You feel Velociraptors, I feel a new boost to the economy in a booming, international, big game hunting sport.

Like hunting a T-Rex with a bow and arrow? Now THAT would be interesting.

hahaha Logan, that's the spirit! Excellent observation.

See it again? How old are you?

e-coli ? Isn't that from lettuce and spinach?????

lol

@A Veteran: They don't carry it in the same way we do. It just washes over them because of runoff from cattle farms. It doesn't infect their cells. E-coli is actually usually found in the colons of animals like you, me, cattle, etc. Since this is a brand new plant, grown and raised in the lab, it's unlikely to be washed in cow poo.

What about Mammoth poo?

Oh gosh, you're right. We are all going to die! ;)

Sure, just go over to Fossil Butte, West of Kemmerer and see some of the fossil plants they have uncovered in stone. Some of them are 100's of Millions years old, and they closely resemble plants here now. Up on Hamsfork, we could dig fossils on Red Mountain and when you compare them to flowers and plants found in Alaska, they are very similar. If people would just READ the article, they would see that this plant never gave up the ghost, it just was revived from a "SEED", and this is a first. The plant has always been here, growing in the NE of Siberia, but they revived it from a "SEED'. That is the remarkable part. Happy Winter, Springs a commin' Dawn.

HAHA! I couldn't help but think the same thing! Maybe they will come out with an "Ice Age 4...The Resurection!" I love that lil' squirrel.

@Mike Duh

It's all one big ball floating in space. We should try to all be on the same team here.

No we should not. Competition drives innovation. Friendly competition between the different teams should be the goal.