Humans may not survive in space for even two minutes, but in 2007, two species were released into space and then reassembled – still alive.
Tarigrades are a group of small incredible animals that live all over the world – you may find yourself on a piece of moss in your back garden or local park. Indeed, you can find them pretty much anywhere – on top of a mountain, at the bottom of the ocean or even in a volcano!
Dr. John Stone, an astrobiologist at MM Commaster University, summarizes how they can avoid batteries in extreme conditions, including temperatures of -180 ° C for 14 days or oven heat for 30 minutes.
“5000 gamma radiation (the type of radiation that has transformed the David Banner into an incredible hulk in the Marvel universe) can also survive,” says Dr. Stone. “
They can live in a stable state for 30 years and possibly 100 years, however, Dr. Stone writes that it is still a long fight.
But are the most indestructible animals on earth called Tardigrades? We asked eight biologists who study them – 63 percent said “yes”, which means there is still little discussion on the question. Here is what we learned from the experts.
Why are Tarigrades so indestructible?
When conditions are difficult to survive, curls occur in balls called tardigrades tan. When someone comes in tune, Tarigrade goes into a kind of ‘paused’ state, called ‘cryptobiosis’.
During cryptobiosis, animals do not move, grow or reproduce, but they are protected from extreme conditions. There are many types of cryptobiosis depending on what conditions you deal with.
The best studied type is called ‘anhydrobiosis’, which protects cells from drying out when there is no water.
If cells dry out, many things damage their DNA and membranes. When some animals go through anhydrobiosis, their cells are filled with a sugar called trehalose, which protects the cell contents until they re-water.
Antihydrobiosis in terdigrads was discovered in 1702, when scientist Anton von Levenhock dried up and revived terdigrades found on the roof of a house. Tardigrades can live in cryptobiosis for years without food or water, if stable for at least 30 years.
Marine tardigrades are not indestructible
There are over 1,400 known species of tardigrades and each differs in their ability to undergo different types of cryptobiosis. Dr. Baker University biologist. William Miller explains, “Terrestrial tadigrades in cryptobiosis are very resistant to destruction … but marine and freshwater terdigrades do not exhibit cryptobiosis, and are therefore very destructive.”
Similarly, only a few species produce terrigrades trehalose, a sugar substance that protects cells during hydrobiosis.
Species of treadmills that do not make trehalose may have some other tricks to protect cells from harsh conditions such as special proteins that turn into a glass-like substance. A lot of interesting research has been done to understand this set of survival tools, but it is clear that not all can go together alone.
Some of the things that can destroy a treadmill
Tardigrades in general are more resistant to changes in their environment than most animals. They are often studied in an astrophysical context – for example to identify whether they can survive even if struck by a planet Earth.
However, this does not mean that they are indestructible against everything – such as expert den. “Taridigrades are certainly one of the most stress-tolerant animals on Earth, but they are very easily destroyed by needle pricks, or eaten by other animals, fungi and adversaries,” says Dennis Person.
Although tardigrades are resilient in some ways, they are susceptible to most endangered species, such as predators and infections.
Tarigrades vs. Nematodes
Working on whether tarigrades are the most indestructible animals, we need to know about competition. Ecologist Dr Diego Fontanetto explains that ‘other animals can survive as we consider the extreme conditions of life.
Among them are nematodes and rotifers, which share similar life-history strategies, habitats and body sizes with teddygrads. Even if these animals are no better than Tarigrades, they remain as extinct and cold as Tarigrades. ‘
Other animals in which cryptobiosis runs in their sleeves include nematode worms, some types of shrimp and some species of plants and yeast! Nematodes have been particularly well studied, and paleobiologist Dr. Graham Bud notes that “the record of survival in the dehydrated state is maintained by nematodes. Tylanx polyhypnus At 39 years. “
And the battle of Tardigrade vs. Nematode has not yet been verified. Says General Bud, “In general, different animals have different ability to survive in different conditions, so it is difficult to identify them as ‘the most resilient ever’.
Takeaway: Tarigrades may be the most indestructible animal, but it is not resistant to any kind of damage and many experts say nematodes are the closest challenge to this title. Despite the debate, it is certain that we are just beginning to know which animals can cope in extreme environments, and how they do it.
Article based on 8 expert answers to this question: Is the most indestructible animal on earth Tardigrades?
The expert’s response was published in partnership with the independent fact-checking platform MetaFact.io. Subscribe to their weekly newsletter here.
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