Water Bears' 'Incredible Response' to Radiation Surprises Scientists

The mysteries of how tardigrades survive some of the most extreme environments imaginable have potentially been solved.

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They are capable of surviving incredibly extreme conditions, even lasting several minutes at temperatures as high as 304 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as minus 458 Fahrenheit. They can go without food or water for decades, reducing their water content to less than 1 percent of normal and entering a state called cryptobiosis, where their metabolic activities come to a practical standstill.

These strange creatures can also withstand immense levels of radiation, surviving over 1,000 times the radiation dose that would kill most other animals. Radiation kills us and other organisms by damaging our DNA, leading to mutations, cancers, and tissue death.

According to the Current Biology paper, a species of tardigrade named Hypsibius exemplaris may be able to correct this DNA damage by amping up their DNA repair genes.



https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/water-bears-incredible-response-to-radiation-surprises-scientists/ar-BB1lIQh7