'Moss piglet' brought back to life after 30 years in deep freeze

A microscopic animal known as a "moss piglet" has been revived after being kept in a deep freeze for 30 years.

The microscopic and oddly cute creature, otherwise known as a tardigrade, was collected in Antarctica in 1983 and had been kept frozen by researchers at Japan's National Institute of Polar Research, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The tardigrades are less than one millimetre in length, and are capable of surviving in extremely hostile environments, including low and high temperatures, pressure, and radiation.

They are able slow or shut down their metabolism under harsh conditions, in a process known as cryptobiosis.

While not quite at the Jurassic Park level of revival yet, the study paper said tardigrades had previously been revived after nine years but never after three decades.

"Further more detailed studies will improve understanding of mechanisms and conditions underlying the long-term survival of cryptobiotic organisms," the researchers said.