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I am sure that most of you have heard of this resilient microbe that frequently gained quite the attention from numerous news sites. Especially when researchers first discovered that it could withstand hazards that would usually kill normal creatures with ease.
What is abnormal about Targidrades or more commonly known as the water bear and moss piglets is that at first glance, their endurance seems to defy the laws of biology.
We are talking about a mere microbe that is considered immortal among the scientific community. Even roaches that are known to tolerate and survive massive quantities of radiation from a nuclear blast pale in comparison to those of water bears. Combine all these reasons, and you can at least understand why they are the top subjects to study among researchers.
The same applies to all new things that we encounter, learning in-depth detail about them would be the first step to identifying their potential. Particularly among the tardigrades, utilizing their remarkable abilities can open the doorways that can benefit humankind in a multitude of ways.
Tiny but massively powerful
Tardigrades inhabit almost every nook and cranny of planet Earth. From the hot scorching hydrothermal vents of the deep ocean to the chilly environments of the Arctic. They can also be found in your backyard as well. If you have a microscope, you could take a few samples of moss situated in your garden and place them on the slides to monitor their strangely satisfying movements.
The way they move is certainly similar to how a bear walks, hence how it got its nickname in the first place. Unlike an actual bear, these nearly indestructible water microbes can withstand pretty much treacherous conditions that would otherwise extinguish a normal organism.
Even if they are exposed to radiation, several thousand times the lethal dose for humans, they would still be chilling around acting as if nothing happened. On top of that, tardigrades have probably been brought to outer space more often after researchers discovered that they can survive in the vacuum of space for as long as 12 days!
Perhaps out of these lists of superpowers possessed by the water bears, cryptobiosis is the ability that has perplexed scientists the most. In simpler terms, it is a type of supercharged hibernation where their metabolism is practically reduced to zero. At the same time, their bodies will enter a dry state as almost all of the water levels leave their cells and tissues.
They will stay in this state for several years until someone places them back into a body of water. Eventually, they will return to a normal state without suffering any damage.
A new type of superpower
Perhaps there are advantages for researchers to carry along these water bears to the small confinements of space stations. Microgravity and exposure to radiation are perfect conditions that can evaluate their durability. In outer space, wearing thickly layered space suits is essential for astronauts throughout spacewalking sessions to protect them from UV radiation since there is no atmosphere out there.
Does it apply the same to all tardigrades? Not exactly because even with their robust DNA protective shields, they won’t be able to protect themselves from small doses of UV radiation. The component inside UV lights that are also widely used to eliminate bacteria and viruses on surfaces, manage to penetrate the barrier of protection and shred the DNA within their cells.
However, what is even more tantalizing is the discovery of a new species of tardigrade that can easily withstand the lethal radiation which can kill other species of tardigrades. A research paper published in 2020 describes this species as Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR. Their findings had shown that half of the species survived after being exposed to the UV rays for a total of 30 days.
The secret to their impressive display of toughness lies in their fluorescent pigments situated beneath the skin. These pigments act as photoprotection layers that absorb huge quantities of UV light and convert it into harmless blue light as you can see in the photo below.
The way photoprotection works are similar to how corals and comb jellies protect themselves from excessive doses of sunlight. We already know that UV rays have higher wavelengths than visible light. Hence, the fluorescent pigments absorb those high-energy UV rays and discharge them with lower energy lights, in this case in the form of blue lights.
Although the experiment was conducted in a lab here on Earth instead of at a space station, for instance, the results obtained from the study would unlock new possibilities on how humans can take advantage of the tardigrade’s superpowers to enhance the safety of future space explorations. Especially when our eyes are targeting Mars for possible human colonization.
A layer of tardigrade sunscreen and glass shield for prolonged protection?
As of this writing, our dedicated scientists are still racking their brains to figure out innovative methods to harness the abilities of these microbes for human benefit. Fortunately, they are making great progress as a team of researchers found out that water bears can produce an unusual type of ‘living glass’ called bioglass.
This material grasps essential molecules and proteins together in a suspended state until their entire bodies are revitalized back to life. More precisely known as intrinsically disordered proteins or IDP for short, these molecules have shapeless features and are distinctly flexible under normal conditions.
However, once the surrounding cells detect a sudden change in moisture levels, production levels of IDP will skyrocket. These proteins then rearrange together to become more sturdy until a tough layer of bioglass is formed. Whenever the tardigrades experience extreme dryness, their TDP will go overdrive, and a layer of bioglass begins to coat their entire bodies.
All we need to do as a means of removing this state of suspended animation is to immerse them in water as it melts the protein back to a regular state.
It does get better than that as scientists managed to transfer the same genes that made the IDPs into yeasts and bacteria. The results from this study were satisfactory as these proteins did protect them from desiccation. Furthermore, they are optimistic that the genes can be transferred into more complex organisms. The most prominent example would be specialized engineered human epithelial cells where adequate traces of bioglasses are detected upon desiccation.
Our current technology might not be possible to replicate the feats of the tardigrades. However, it is only a matter of time before someone can invent a technology that combines the water bear’s resistance to UV radiation and its resilient bioglasses into a practical device that can provide many applications.
Other than enhancing spacesuits which consist of specific materials, they can be used to develop crops that can survive long-lasting droughts. In the medical sector, suppliers and doctors do not need to store medicines in chillers or freezers anymore. Medicines coated with bioglass should not have any problems if they are stored at room temperatures.
Numerous countries can benefit from such working wonders of this technology, particularly in remote and developing communities where chillers may come in shortage. Even the leading space agency, NASA is planning to carry out more experiments; both space station experiments and earth-based research to obtain more insights into the microbe’s remarkable feats.
“In the long run, revealing what makes tardigrades so tolerant could lead to ways of protecting biological material, such as food and medicine from extreme temperatures, drying out, and radiation exposure, which will be invaluable for long-duration, deep-space exploration missions. That’s superhero-size potential for the teeny tardigrade.” said NASA in a statement here.
That’s superhero-size potential for the teeny tardigrade.
-NASA
The possibilities and potential applications are endless. Regardless of how the technology is shaping to be, for a tiny superhero that offers massively potential benefits for the advancement of society is truly mind-boggling.
Thank you very much for reading! If you enjoyed this article, feel free to share it on social media and spread knowledge to the people around you 😀
References:-
- Crew, B. (n.d.). We can now harness the tardigrade’s strangest superpower—And give it to other organisms. ScienceAlert. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/we-can-now-harness-the-tardigrade-s-strangest-superpower-and-give-it-to-other-organisms.
- Howell,E. (2021, June 25). These tiny indestructible tardigrades will reveal how to survive in extremes of space. Space.Com. https://www.space.com/tardigrades-on-space-station-extreme-survival.
- Suma, H. R., Prakash, S., & Eswarappa, S. M. (2020). Naturally occurring fluorescence protects the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. From ultraviolet radiation. Biology Letters, 16(10), 20200391. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0391.
- Tabor, A. (2021, June 1). Microscopic superheroes to help protect astronaut health in space [Text]. NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/microscopic-superheroes-to-help-protect-astronaut-health-in-space.
- Winter, G. D. (2020, October 23). New tardigrade superpower discovered. Predict. https://medium.com/predict/new-tardigrade-superpower-discovered-7c5a4b990fc8
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