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With their half a millimeter, the tardigrades can be barely visible, but they continue to attract attention with their strange survival skills. Researchers are now on the trail of another.
Tiny, multicellular animals survive situations in which virtually all other life forms die. For example, being launched into space or living for decades without water. Of course, scientists are very interested in the mechanisms behind this. Because who knows, we humans can learn something from this too.
In recent research, they looked at how tardigrades can survive without water. They saw that special proteins ensure the creation of a gel that hardens and thus protects the drying cells from mechanical stress. As the water leaves the cell, which normally causes the cell to lose firmness and damage, the gel ensures that the cell can continue to do its job. When there is enough water again, the gel will slowly dissolve.
In the lab, the proteins also appear to work in insect cells and, to a lesser extent, in our own. The researchers hope that the discovery may at least help preserve biological samples such as cells for longer in dry conditions. They also plan to examine at least 300 additional proteins in the tardigrade. In search of more secrets.
Read more: How Tardigrades Withstand Dehydration.
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