Tardigrades, the ubiquitous microscopic animals that resemble gummy bears with eight legs, are renowned for their ability to survive some of the harshest environmental conditions for decades without food and water.
These hardy animals can easily endure levels of radiation that would be lethal to most other forms of life, extreme temperatures and even survive in the vacuum of space. Some scientists think that uncovering the genes responsible for their remarkable resilience, particularly to ultrahigh radiation, could unlock a range of potential applications from cancer research to space exploration.
And we may be closer than ever to unlocking them. Chinese scientists have now identified a new species of tardigrades hosting thousands of genes that become more active when exposed to radiation. The findings point to a complex defense system that shields tardigrade DNA from radiation-induced damage and can pave the way for devising better protection for astronauts from the stresses of long-duration missions, researchers say.
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