50-Million-Year-Old Worm Sperm Found Preserved In Antarctica
SpermatozoonDepartment of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural HistoryA 50 million year old spermatozoon (sperm cell) found in Antarctica.We all know about how mosquitos trapped in amber:Can lead to dinosaur biker gangs:(Or, at the very least, awesome memes) But what about worm sperm trapped in a cocoon? It probably won't lead to insane theme parks with a death wish, but it could change our understanding of ancient microbes.In a paper published today in Biology Letters, Benjamin Bomfleur and his colleagues announced the discovery of 50 million year old sperm cells found in a cocoon in Antarctica. This is the oldest animal sperm ever discovered, but what's really exciting is where it was found: in a tiny cocoon in Antarctica.These cocoons aren't like cocoons used by butterflies to make their lovely transformation from lowly caterpillar to gorgeous winged creature. Instead these cocoons are integral to the mating process...