Tardigrades, tiny, eight-legged creatures that look like alien bears, are tougher than any beast on Earth. These little guys can withstand massive amounts of radiation, nearly 1,000 times higher than the lethal level for humans, and survive in harsh environments that no other organism can withstand. A recently discovered species of tardigrades reveals new insights into how the microscopic animal pulls it off by repairing damage to its DNA when exposed to high doses of gamma rays.
There are roughly 1,500 known species of tardigrades, affectionately known as water bears, but there’s still much to be known about the mechanism through which the hardy invertebrates protect themselves against radiation. A new study specifically examines one species, named Hypsibius henanensis, to uncover clues behind the molecular mechanism that gives tardigrades their super powers. The results could inform new ways to help mitigate the effects of radiation on astronauts in space, and facilitate long-duration spaceflight for humans.
“Extreme environmental resistance of extremophiles such as tardigrades is a treasure trove of unexplored molecular mechanisms of stress resistance,” Lei Li, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Science, and lead author of the paper, said in a statement . “Functional research on these radiotolerance mechanisms..
. will further broaden our understanding of cellular survival under extreme conditions.” The scientists behind the study , published Thursday in Scien.
