Search results for tardigrade

Cell & Microbiology Apr 15, 2024

Researchers discover new clues to how tardigrades can survive intense radiation

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have discovered that tardigrades—microscopic animals famed for surviving harsh extremes—have an unusual response to radiation.

Space Exploration Apr 3, 2024

Private companies are exploiting outer space, but the law is struggling to catch up

On 8 January 2024, NASA launched Peregrine Mission One, which carried capsules to the moon containing human remains and DNA samples. The goal was to deposit human remains on the lunar surface, and to release the content of ...

Ecology Mar 31, 2024

As climate change and pollution imperil coral reefs, scientists are deep-freezing corals to repopulate future oceans

Coral reefs are some of the oldest, most diverse ecosystems on Earth, and among the most valuable. They nurture 25% of all ocean life, protect coasts from storms and add billions of dollars yearly to the global economy through ...

Biotechnology Mar 26, 2024

Researchers show that introduced tardigrade proteins can slow metabolism in human cells

University of Wyoming researchers have gained further insight into how tardigrades survive extreme conditions and have shown that proteins from the microscopic creatures expressed in human cells can slow down molecular processes.

Space Exploration Feb 27, 2024

Could tardigrades have colonized the moon?

Just over five years ago, on 22 February 2019, an unmanned space probe was placed in orbit around the moon. Named Beresheet and built by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, it was intended to be the first private spacecraft ...

Evolution Jan 22, 2024

'Water bear' genomes reveal the secrets of extreme survival

Tardigrades may be nature's ultimate survivors. While these tiny, nearly translucent animals are easily overlooked, they represent a diverse group that has successfully colonized freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments ...

Plants & Animals Jan 17, 2024

Molecular sensor enables water bear hardiness by triggering dormancy, study finds

Tardigrades—hardy, microscopic animals commonly known as "water bears"—use a molecular sensor that detects harmful conditions in their environment, telling them when to go dormant and when to resume normal life. A team ...

Ecology Dec 29, 2023

The secret world of puddles

As the new year arrived in 2016, my home city of Newcastle upon Tyne was briefly the center of global attention—for a puddle. The Drummond Puddle, as it was grandly known, was a watery hazard placed perfectly where converging ...

Evolution Nov 27, 2023

Using the principles of evolution to defeat cancer

November 24 marked 164 years since the publication of Charles Darwin's revolutionary "On the Origin of Species," one of the most influential scientific books ever written. In acknowledgement, 24 November is known as "Evolution ...

Ecology Aug 14, 2023

Researchers characterize tardigrade species richness in Denmark

They're found on Mount Everest, in the deep seas, aboard the International Space Station and thousands of them have even crash landed and been spilled onto the moon. The microscopic water bear has a nearly unfathomable ability ...

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