Russian scientists have discovered the fruits of a flowering plant, Silene stenophylla, in the food store in a burrow of a ground squirrel in frozen sediments in Siberia.

Dating techniques suggest that the fruits were stored by the ground squirrel about 32000 years ago, shortly before the ground became permanently frozen.

Tissue samples were taken from the fruits and grown in a nutrient culture medium. After treatment with plant hormones to stimulate the growth of roots and shoots, 36 complete plants were produced.

These 'regenerated' plants, which looked identical to one another, flowered and after cross-pollination, produced seeds that were able to germinate.