Tardigrades are pretty much impossible to kill. No, seriously — the tiny organisms also known as water bears or mossy piglets, can survive the following environments: the vacuum of outer space, near absolute zero, boiling temperatures, pressures six times greater than the deepest ocean, several years’ worth of dehydration, and radiation lethal to pretty much every other animal on Earth. Scientists now know what gives Tardigrades that latter quality — and it could be a boon to making deep space travel for human beings possible.
Cosmic radiation is still an incredible obstacle to safe interstellar travel. Our understanding of how radiation in space affects the human body has always been murky at best, and the first astronauts shot into space are now suffering from that lack of understanding.
There is no shortage of ideas for what could be employed to protect future astronauts bound for Mars and beyond — including genetic engineering. Which brings us to tardigrades.
In a new study published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers University of Tokyo presented a genetic analysis of Ramazzottius variornatus, which is thought to be among the toughest tardigrade species, and identified the protein responsible for keeping tardigrade DNA safe from radiation. Dsup, short for “Damage suppressor,” basically works by enveloping DNA and covering it from harmful agents without affecting the normal activity of genetic material.
Okay, great for tardigrades. What does this have to do with humans and space, you ask?
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