We have discussed Tardigrades before ....
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| Tough Tardigrades |
.... natures toughest little titans.
As discussed then, they can survive freezing, the vacuum of space and radiation (and even being fired from a gun), and still revive when better conditions surround them. They were even suggested as being possible visitors from outer space in the theory of Panspermia, although as seen in the earlier post they may not be able to withstand atmosphere re-entry if travelling on a rock.
But up until now, no one knew how they they were able to perform their survival trick. Apparently they manage it by dehydrating themselves and turning themselves into barrel like forms, known as tun but the trick is that Tardigrades produce a unique protein that turn the inside of their cells into a gel, which prevents the cells crinkling and collapsing when stressed and dehydrated.
This unique ability allows them to survive harsh conditions when almost all other species (the Bdelloidea rotifer is believed to be able to survive similar harsh conditions), don't. For instance the brine shrimp can also survive dessication, but uses a sugar (trehalose) to turn their cells into a glass like condition which protects them ....
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| Sea Monkey Advert |
.... you might know them as 'sea monkeys' .... those little critters that were sold in dry packets, but which came to life when added to water .... I always wondered about them when I was a kid .... but I doubt that the adverts claim that they can be "trained" is true!
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