This piece celebrates the natural world and the animal kingdom, which never fails to astonish. It highlights that, even when discoveries seem impossible, experts and scientists keep uncovering surprising facts about living beings. For instance, the question of whether any animal can endure space conditions is answered with a definite yes according to recent findings.
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These notes introduce tardigrades, popularly known as water bears. These microscopic organisms are found worldwide. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, and their name comes from their bear-like gait. Tardigrades can endure extreme conditions, including temperatures from minus 200 degrees Celsius to plus 150 degrees Celsius, immense pressure, and dehydration. The most striking feature is their ability to survive in space.
In 2019, the Israeli Beresheet spacecraft released thousands of dehydrated tardigrades to observe their response in space-like conditions. Scientists observed that tardigrades shrink, cluster into a ball, and expel most of their body water, entering a metabolic drought state. They halt movement and crucial processes until water returns. When humidity returns, the creatures revive and resume normal activity.
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Agate Candela Millan
Among the surprises scientists have uncovered, tardigrades can survive more than a decade in a state of metabolic dormancy. Some researchers believe they could sustain this for up to a century. This is extraordinary because the typical lifespan of a tardigrade that feeds regularly is only a few months, yet they can live for many years under certain conditions.
This is the animal that sleeps for more than 22 consecutive hours.
Agate Candela Millan
Tardigrades can repair damaged DNA caused by space radiation. They accumulate large amounts of antioxidants that neutralize cosmic radiation from distant stars and the sun. This repair process happens far faster than in most other animals, providing a shield against the lack of atmosphere and stellar radiation.
Moreover, tardigrades endure extreme earthly conditions as well. They tolerate temperatures as high as 150 °C and as low as minus 200 °C, along with very high pressures. They are plentiful and can be found on moss, lichen, and many other surfaces. Reproduction occurs sexually through the union of two tardigrades or asexually by splitting into two individuals, giving the appearance of tiny, resilient beings. They seem almost otherworldly in their adaptability.
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Agate Candela Millan
Tardigrades are among the most captivating creatures on the planet. Their unique features enable them to survive in extreme environments. Their capacity to endure space has generated significant interest in the scientific community, with potential implications for future space missions to explore planets and asteroids.
In medicine, the ability to repair damaged DNA could inform future cancer treatments. Understanding tardigrade survival helps scientists in materials engineering and the development of robust electronic devices, too.
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Ultimately, tardigrades prove that size is not the sole measure of an animal’s resilience. Their adaptation to harsh environments hints at remarkable possibilities for science and technology in the future.