The Secret of the Immortal Tardigrade: A Creature That Fears No Challenge!

What kind of creature can survive the harshest environments on Earth without fear? The answer lies in one of the world's smallest bugs, the immortal tardigrade.

Survive in extreme temperatures

Tardigrades , also known as "water bears" , are small but hardy creatures. They have been found to have an amazing ability to withstand extremely extreme conditions, being able to survive in extreme temperatures. This unique trait has attracted the attention of scientists and made tardigrades a model organism for studying the ability of organisms to adapt to extreme environments.

Tardigrades live in a wide variety of environments, from freshwater lakes to oceans, from mountains to valleys, and can even be found in polar regions. Although they are small, typically only about 0.5 mm in length, they demonstrate an incredible ability to survive in the most extreme temperatures.

Tardigrades, also known as Basel bugs , or water bears, are tenacious little creatures belonging to the phylum Annelida in the animal kingdom and are world-renowned for their incredible endurance and adaptability. (Photo: Livescience)

In extremely cold environments, tardigrades can withstand temperatures close to absolute zero. Their bodies contain a special protein that prevents their cells from freezing and self-destructing. When temperatures drop, tardigrades adjust their metabolic rate to maintain function and protect their cells from being destroyed by ice crystals. They also quickly resume normal metabolic activity when the environment warms up again.

Not only that, tardigrades can survive in extremely hot environments . They can withstand temperatures up to 150 degrees Celsius. When the ambient temperature increases, they will enter a dormant state, curling up, reducing metabolic activity and avoiding damage from high temperatures. This dormant state can last for several years, when the ambient temperature drops, the tardigrade will revive and resume normal physiological activities.

DNA repair mechanisms are important for tardigrades living in harsh environments, helping them survive in harsh conditions. (Photo: Livescience)

The tardigrades' ability to survive extreme temperatures also benefits from their powerful DNA repair mechanisms. When a cell's DNA is damaged, tardigrades can quickly repair the errors in the DNA and avoid cell death.

In addition to being able to withstand extreme temperatures, tardigrades can also survive other harsh conditions, such as extreme dryness and high pressure. In arid conditions, tardigrades hibernate. Under extreme pressure, tardigrades use their tough body structure to resist the effects of external pressure.

The mechanism by which tardigrades enter hibernation also plays an important role in their ability to withstand harsh conditions. (Photo: Livescience).

Unique hibernation mechanism

Tardigrades (also known as drought-tolerant bugs) are tiny, incredibly adaptable creatures with an incredible ability to withstand extreme drought conditions. When faced with extreme drought conditions, water bears can go into a dormant state to cope with the challenge.

In dry conditions, the tardigrade's body curls up into a "potato" shaped ball. This form protects the tardigrade from dry conditions and prevents water loss from the body. In addition, the tardigrade's exoskeleton may also play a certain protective role to prevent damage from the external environment.

The tardigrade's instinctive response also gives it a well-adapted ability to withstand extreme drought conditions. When water bears sense an approaching drought, they rapidly reduce the amount of water in their bodies to avoid dehydration. At the same time, the tardigrade's metabolism will also enter a state of extreme slowness to reduce water consumption. This self-regulation ability allows tardigrades to survive prolonged periods of drought.

In a dormant state, tardigrades suspend growth and reproduction, while slowing down their metabolic activity. In this way, tardigrades can withstand drought for years or even decades. Once environmental conditions become favorable, tardigrades can quickly resume activity and continue reproducing. (Photo: Zhihu).

Tardigrades have amazed and astonished people with their ability to withstand extreme conditions. They can go into a dormant state in arid environments and maintain life activities through special defense mechanisms, instinctive responses and the ability to regulate their metabolic rate.

Resistance to radiation and high pressure

Tardigrades live in many different harsh environments on Earth, including mountains, deep seas, polar regions, etc. They have also been tested in space experiments. However, regardless of the environment, tardigrades are incredibly resistant to radiation.

The tardigrade's DNA repair mechanism is key to its resistance to radiation. When tardigrade DNA molecules are damaged by ultraviolet or other radiation, they can prevent further damage by reassembling and repairing the DNA strands. This repair mechanism allows tardigrades to survive exposure to large amounts of radiation and to pass on the repair genes to future generations, ensuring the continued survival of the population.

The unique anti-repression proteins and antioxidant enzymes of tardigrades also strongly support their radiation resistance. These proteins and enzymes can effectively eliminate free radicals in cells and inhibit radiation-induced cell damage, thereby protecting the vitality of tardigrades and the integrity of their genetic information.

Tardigrades live in many extreme environments, including the high-pressure environments of the deep sea. (Photo: VOX)

In the deep sea, tardigrades can withstand pressures of up to 600 MPa , equivalent to the pressure of water at a depth of 1,000 meters above the ground. The body structure of tardigrades plays an important role in adapting to this high-stress environment. The body of tardigrades is called "limited oval", it has a unique exoskeleton structure and soft body segments, which can effectively withstand external pressure under high pressure and maintain the stability of the body shape.

Their cells are also very adaptable to stress. The organizational structure of the cell membrane and internal organs of tardigrades can remain relatively stable in high-pressure environments and are not easily damaged. This adaptive mechanism at the cellular level allows tardigrades to maintain normal physiological functions under extreme pressure and to rapidly rejuvenate after pressure is restored.

The ability of tardigrades to withstand extreme conditions not only allows us to better understand the survival mechanisms of life in harsh environments, but also provides inspiration and hope for humans facing unprecedented extreme conditions.