Bears or “water bear”
Tardigrade is the hardest organism on the planet.
By Richard Flament – In the animal kingdom, some organisms have specially developed the ability to survive in hostile environments and climates. But when we’re talking about extremes, we’re not talking about enduring Quebec’s North Shore winter. No, we are talking about the resistance of absolute zero, i.e. -273 ° C, and only one animal can return from a trip to absolute zero.
Its name is tardigrades or more commonly called a “water bear”. It is an animal no more than a millimeter long and has eight legs covered with small claws. They mainly feed on plants such as algae or even small invertebrates. They are found everywhere on Earth, from arid deserts to the seabed or even in your garden.
It is clear that the scientific interest that this animal has aroused is its extraordinary ability to adapt. Sure, it can go back from absolute zero and go on with its life, but it can also withstand temperatures of around 340 degrees Celsius. That’s not all, it is able to withstand a pressure of 4,000 bar, that is, four tons per cm² or four times the pressure of the deepest point in the oceans. One article would not be enough to describe all of its extraordinary capabilities, but to give you an idea, it also survives the vacuum of space very well.
Its amazing resilience mainly depends on its ability to position itself in a crypto state. This means that it can somehow stop its time and thus preserve itself for thousands of years before resurrecting. When the body begins to dehydrate, it curls up on itself and becomes 99% dehydrated, protecting it from freezing and high temperatures.
There are currently some tardigrades aboard the International Space Station for experiments on their “superpower”. Researchers are trying to identify the genes in their DNA that allow them to overcome any difficult situation. The purpose of these studies is to be able to unravel its secrets so that humans can explore the secrets of its amazing resilience. If scientific progress one day allows the incorporation of non-human genes into our bodies, we may have superpowers…
Richard Flament
PhD student in evolutionary biology at Qatar University
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