Animals sleep peacefully in a glass coffin waiting for revival

When it comes to drought conditions, water bears will create a glass cover around them to prevent body parts from dissolving.

According to the International Business Times, tardigrade , or water bears , is almost invisible if seen with the naked eye because the body is only 1.5mm long. Tardigarde is considered to be one of the most enduring vigor on the planet thanks to its survival ability in extreme weather conditions from one to 100 degrees Celsius. They can withstand 6 times the pressure productivity in the deepest sea.

Scientists who discover tardigrade proteins can transform between soft and hard shells like glass depending on the water level. Constructing proteins that help tardigrade live for years or decades without water. When fully supplied, their proteins are in soft form. However, when dehydrated, proteins begin to form a hard shell. According to the team, this shell is a bio-glass that prevents body parts from dissolving.

The bio-glass shell surrounds the water bear.(Photo: Flickr).

"Most life forms need water. However, some organism may exist despite complete dehydration. Understanding the mechanism of survival when dehydration can bring many applications, such as real changes. drought-resistant materials and stabilize biological materials, " said Thomas Boothby, a researcher at North Caralina University, USA.

When the team added water to the tardigrade in the glass shell, they resurrected, the crust disappeared and the animals again functioned normally. Scientists announced the discovery during the annual meeting of the American Cell Biology Association on December 15.

The research team also tried to find out whether the bio-glass cover of tardigrade was effective in other organisms. They put proteins into bacteria and yeast. The results showed that their ability to withstand dehydration increased by 2-3 times. The next step of the study is to clarify how the glass cover works during the dehydration period.