🧫 Researchers say they isolated an ancient bacterial strain, Psychrobacter SC65A.3, from a roughly 5,000-year-old layer of ice in the Scărişoara (Scarisoara) Ice Cave in Romania 14. Lab tests found the strain resists 10 modern antibiotics and carries more than 100 genes linked to antibiotic resistance 14.
In experiments described in coverage, the cold-adapted microbe also slowed the growth of several antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” 4. The reporting comes with a caution: Psychrobacter species can rarely infect humans and animals, so any work on organisms like this needs careful biosafety and responsible handling, alongside the search for new ways to fight drug-resistant infections 12.
Sources
- Ancient bacteria found in an underground ice cave is resistant to multiple antibiotics [scimex.org] (2026-02-17)
- Bacteria Frozen For 5,000 Years Could Fight Superbugs, But There's a Catch [sciencealert.com] (2026-02-17)
- Bacteria Frozen For 5,000 Years Could Fight Superbugs, But There's a Catch - ScienceAlert [google.com] (2026-02-17)
- 5,000-year-old bacteria thawed in Romanian ice cave [popsci.com] (2026-02-17)
Highlights
- Why ice caves matter: Popular Science notes that ice caves can host a wide range of microorganisms and may hold a reservoir of genetic diversity that scientists have only begun to explore 4.
- More than antibiotic angles: Alongside its resistance profile and the growth-inhibition tests, coverage says the strain showed enzymatic activities the researchers believe could have biotechnological value 4.
- Who’s quoted: Co-author Dr. Cristina Purcarea, a microbiologist at the Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy, highlighted the strain’s mix of resistance traits and its lab-observed inhibition in a statement cited by Popular Science 4.
- Research outlet: Coverage says the team reported the findings in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology 4.
Perspectives
Study authors (as described by Popular Science): They point to the strain’s lab-observed ability to inhibit several antibiotic-resistant bacteria and to enzymatic activities that could be useful in biotechnology, framing the work as a potential source of new ideas for tackling drug-resistant infections.
Science Media Exchange write-up: The coverage underscores how striking it is that a microbe preserved under millennia of cave ice can still resist multiple modern drugs, while also noting that Psychrobacter is known—though rarely—to infect humans and animals.
ScienceAlert framing: ScienceAlert presents the findings as a possible help in the fight against superbugs but flags “a catch,” urging caution about the implications and risks of reviving or closely studying ancient microbes.
Scientific Significance
- Scientific meaning: The report adds to growing evidence that antibiotic-resistance mechanisms exist outside modern clinical settings and can persist in long-isolated environments 14.
- Limitations and future work: Turning lab-observed growth inhibition into a practical tool would require pinning down the active molecules or mechanisms, showing how they work, and then testing safety and effectiveness step by step before any medical use 4[common].