A Russian scientist claims to have found the fountain of youth by injecting himself with 3.5 million year old bacteria found in the Siberian permafrost. According to Anatoli Brouchkov, he no longer gets sick and is now stronger than ever. While Brouchkov admits he doesn’t know exactly how the elixir is working its magic, he still has faith in its effects. “[W]e do not know yet exactly how it works. In fact, we do not know exactly how aspirin works, for example, but it does.”
Scientists have been looking at bacteria emerging from melting permafrost in Siberia, but this is the first time someone has thought to inject themselves with the 3.5 million year old microbes. Brouchkov says he wasn’t worried. “The permafrost is thawing, and I guess these bacteria get into the environment, into the water, so the local population, the Yakut people, in fact, for a long time are getting these cells with water, and even seem to live longer than some other nations. So there was no danger for me.”
Related: Study Warns Methane from Melting Arctic Permafrost is ‘Certain to Trigger Additional Warming’
Brouchkov is certain that, properly administered, the bacteria could provide the secret to a long, healthy life. And there may be some truth to the statement. When the bacteria was injected into mice, older female mice were able to begin reproducing again. It has also been found to heal injured plants.
This isn’t the first bacteria found in Siberia that has impressive properties. Another bacteria was found to break down petroleum, while a third strain proved capable of eliminating cellulose molecules. Of course, there is plenty of research to be done, but who knows what secrets the bacteria hidden in the rapidly-melting frost could hold?
Via The Daily Mail
Lead image via Shutterstock
