Caenorhabditis elegans is a nematode. It can survive extreme cold weather at -80°C by entering a state of suspended metabolism called cryptobiosis. A similar mechanism to survive extreme cold weather is used by a newly discovered species found in the Siberian Permafrost.

Art and fact by Wenzhe Li, Instagram @dustybutkindofnice

[Edited by Nicole Rodrigues]

Reference:

Shatilovich, A., Gade, V. R., Pippel, M., Hoffmeyer, T. T., Tchesunov, A. V., Stevens, L., Winkler, S., Hughes, G. M., Traikov, S., Hiller, M., Rivkina, E., Schiffer, P. H., Myers, E. W., & Kurzchalia, T. V. (2023). A novel nematode species from the Siberian permafrost shares adaptive mechanisms for cryptobiotic survival with C. elegans dauer larva. PLoS genetics, 19(7), e1010798. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010798