✅ 2 More Things You Should Know About the Weird and Wonderful Tardigrade At Popular Mechanics, we love the water bear so much that we thought we’d share two more mini bonus facts about these resilient (and cute!) invertebrates. Here are our seven favorite facts about tardigrades, according to the latest research. We talked to leading researchers to learn a bit more about what makes these little water bears so amazing. In other words, they “use a molecular sensor that detects harmful conditions in their environment, telling them when to go dormant and when to resume normal life,” per a press statement. As a result of the reactions, the cysteine alters proteins in the water bear, triggering the tun state. According to a study published on Januin the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, when exposed to conditions that would trigger a dormant state, tardigrades’ cells emitted oxygen free radicals that, in turn, oxidized cysteine amino acids. Still, they didn’t understand how the eight-legged microscopic invertebrates could initiate that tun state in the first place.īut now, scientists have uncovered the way in which tardigrades use this badass survival skill. Scientists already knew that tardigrades could survive extreme environments by entering what’s called a “tun” state for extended periods of time. Now, we may finally understand the mechanism tiny water bears use to live in such harsh conditions, from deep-sea vents at the bottom of the ocean to the top of the Himalayas. Tardigrades are one of the most fascinating creatures on Earth- and in space.
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