American scientists from the University of North Carolina have discovered a mechanism that provides tardigrades with resistance to high levels of radiation. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Current Biology (CurBio).
Tardigrades are small invertebrate creatures that can survive in the harshest environments. They tolerate very high and very low temperatures, exposure to the vacuum of space, and can also withstand radiation 1,000 times more intense than the lethal threshold for humans.
In a new study, experts found that radiation damages the DNA of tardigrades, as it does in other living organisms. However, tardigrades have learned to increase the production volume of their genes to repair damaged parts of the gene code.
“These animals show an incredible response to radiation, and this appears to be the secret of their remarkable survival ability. “The way tardigrades overcome radiation stress may lead to new ideas about how we can protect other animals and microorganisms from harmful radiation,” the authors said.
Previous scientists stopped Senescence of human cells by addition of tardigrade proteins.