tardigrade
Latest
Water bears may be the last species alive when the sun dies
We often talk about whether human beings can survive a cataclysmic space event, such as a large asteroid hitting the Earth. But even if we're wiped out, other life will go on. Scientists have discovered that the tardigrade, also called the water bear, is the world's most indestructible living species.
'Water Bear' protein could shield human DNA from radiation
Tardigrades, aka 'water bears,' are microscopic organisms that survive in harsh environments from the antarctic to oxygenless space. They are so robust that Japanese scientists froze a group of them for 30 years and successfully revived two specimens. But to understand what makes these tiny creatures so impervious, another group of researchers took a closer look at their genes. By mapping the entire genome of a particularly stress-tolerant tardigrade species, Ramazzottius varieornatus, they found a protein that protects DNA from being irradiated — which could be used to shield humans.
