Source: xataka.com
The tardigrade is able to survive almost any situationFor example: it can withstand freezing, boiling water, and can even survive without food for decades.
Also known as water bears due to its appearance and movements, it is one of the most resistant microscopic beings on planet Earth. It can withstand conditions that no other animal could.
What is the tardigrade like?
Tardigrades have a long, plump body with four legs that move slowly "like a bear." Adult specimens could be seen with the naked eye as they They measure between 0,05mm and 0,5mm.
they are beings invertebrates, protostomes, segmented and microscopic. They belong to the animal kingdom within where they are located among the ecdysozoans. They are within the large group of panarthropods as they have characters that seem to indicate that they share a common ancestor with arthropods. But in addition to that, they are such peculiar little animals that they have their own edge: Tardigrada.
Their diet is based on breaking the barrier that their prey have and feeding on the nutrients inside through their round mouths and prepared for the suction of liquids.
They shed their skin when the time comes to lay their up to 30 eggs, that way they give extra protection to future tardigrades. These little animals can live an average of two and a half years with favorable conditions. But in unfavorable conditions they could live many more years. Yes, I have written it well. When tardigrades experience dangerous, difficult, etc. conditions, they enter a state where they remain paralyzed, waiting for the storm to pass. It is this characteristic that makes them unique and very interesting.
Johann August Ephraim Goeze the describes for the first time in 1773 and baptizes them "water bears" since their way of moving reminded him to that of the bears. Later it would receive the name "tardigrade" which comes to mean "slow pace" all referring to its movement.
Where does the tardigrade live?
We can find them mainly in the mosses, lichens and ferns. However, they also move in the waters, whether sweet or salty and therefore we can find them in almost any corner of the world.
They need even a small layer of water to live peacefully and not enter cryptobiosis, with which, we are going to find them almost anywhere except desert areas.
It is possible to see them or locate them in their own habitat. To do this, we must look at the moss plants when we find one and look at it carefully to see if it contains tardigrades.
His incredible resistance
Since their discovery centuries ago, they have been animals that have fascinated and, therefore, have been studied. How is it possible that they resist extreme conditions that no other animal could resist? Could that help humans and other animals? How far does the resistance of the tardigrade go?
What does it resist?
In an active, hydrated state, they do not resist more than 37ºC, however they can enter a latent state where they become extremely resistant. They can survive before pressures above 6000 atmospheres, at temperatures of -200ºC and up to 150ºC, its cells are not damaged by ionizing radiation and even endures in a state of starvation for 10 years.
In a latent state, tardigrades expel all the water that is not essential and enter a state of cryptobiosis, where they they suspend metabolic processes until the extreme conditions they face subside. It's such a defense that, in this state, they could live almost indefinitely. What's more, they are "frozen" to the point that they don't even age. Once they wake up, they have exactly the same biological age they had at the moment they entered the cryptobiosis process.
All of it, makes them the most resistant organism on planet Earth. No other animal is capable of withstanding such extreme conditions as the tardigrade. We could launch them into space, recover them in the years and wake them up and they would be as if nothing had happened. Any other organism that faces any of these situations that we have been mentioning would suffer irreversible damage to its DNA and would almost certainly cause its death.
Tardigrade in cryptobiosis (Source: xataka.com)
What is its enormous resistance due to?
After many investigations it was discovered that they possess a protein called Dsup, responsible for eliminating possible damage physical, and therefore prevents cellular DNA damage. The process of operation of this protein is still unknown, although its ability to adapt or flexibility is known, which allows it to adjust perfectly to DNA and protect it against any external attack. All of this is still being investigated It can have many applications in the medical field. It is necessary to know how this protein has evolved and how it is activated as a shield to safeguard the DNA.
So, who knows, maybe getting to know these little animals better will help them face terrible situations that no other living being could otherwise face.