It Had A "Strong Pleistocene Aroma": In 1984, Scientists Ate A 50,000-Year-Old Bison In A Stew

IFL Science ^ | September 25, 2025 | Rachael Funnell

[Red Badger]

I think we have some nearly as old in our freezer. Good to know it’s still good!....................

[ComputerGuy]

Those ribs don’t look like much, do they?

[Red Badger]

They probably are desiccated pretty badly.....................

[alexander_busek]

Paired with...?

A suitable wine would have been appropriate.

Regards,

[Tell It Right]

Strong Pleistocene Aroma

Reminds me of the few times I've used public transportation.

[Ezekiel]

Apparently ‘freezer burn’ is fake news so people will throw out perfectly good eats.

I mean come on, if it’s good after 50,000 years, what’s 50?

[Red Badger]

Ripple or Sangria would be the best choices...........

[kawhill]

“The taste was delicious, and none of us suffered any ill effects from the meal.” Thanks, I’ve always wanted to try that. Another thing on my bucket list.

[Hebrews 11:6]

So, why didn’t the lion who brought it down then consume it? A lion risks his life when attacking a bison with horns like that. Did the bison injure or kill his attacker?

[tet68]

the research team decided to follow in the footsteps of Russian scientists who had come before them in introducing a little bit of the findings into an evening meal.

I remember reading that the Russian team ate theirs before they even got back to the lab...

[crusty old prospector]

How about a nice Chianti and some fava beans?

[crusty old prospector]

OK, now try Pliocene.

[Red Badger]

Bison are herd animals so it may have been trampled.................

[Red Badger]

Sorry, we’re fresh out of Pliocene.

We’re expecting some in next Tuesday................

[albie]

That is so gross and unappetizing

[Red Badger]

Just think of it as very old Mongolian BBQ...................

[Dr. Sivana]

A suitable wine would have been appropriate.

I would go with some Mede made with that 3,000 year old honey, and maybe some melted ice procured from drilling deep into an Antartic ice shelf.

[nwrep]

They did.

[edwinland]

This is the beginning of The Gulag Archipelago.

In 1949 some friends and I came upon a noteworthy news item in Nature, a magazine of the Academy of Sciences. It reported in tiny type that in the course of excavations on the Kolyma River a subterranean ice lens had been discovered which was actually a frozen stream— and in it were found frozen specimens of prehistoric fauna some tens of thousands of years old. Whether fish or salamander, these were preserved in so fresh a state, the scientific correspondent reported, that those present immediately broke open the ice encasing the specimens and devoured them with relish on the spot.