Water Bears to the Rescue?

[SorellaLaBefana]

...Tardigrades, also known as water bears, have long fascinated scientists with their ability to withstand extreme conditions, including radiation at levels nearly 1,000 times higher than the lethal dose for humans. There are around 1,500 known tardigrade species, but only a handful are well-studied.

Now, scientists have sequenced the genome of a species new to science, and revealed some of the molecular mechanisms that give tardigrades their extraordinary resilience. Their study, published in Science on 24 October1, identifies thousands of tardigrade genes that become more active when exposed to radiation. These processes point to a sophisticated defence system that involves protecting DNA from the damage that radiation causes and repairing any breaks that do occur.

The authors hope that their insights could be harnessed to help protect astronauts from radiation during space missions, clean up nuclear pollution or improve cancer treatment...

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03484-1

Science again brings light and hope to the world.

[Xoan]

1. Better than politics

[truddy777]

2. tardigrades

I had no idea tardigrades were so resilient. It’s amazing to think that studying these tiny creatures could lead to real-world applications, like protecting astronauts or improving cancer treatments.

[duncang]

3. Tardigrade/human mutants

Kind of a scary thought. Let your 1950/1960’s movies imagination run wild.

[Javaman]

5. Tardiman? Hugrades? nt

[Warpy]

4. If we blow ourselves up

They'll just roll themselves into dry little balls until the radiation level drops and the first good rain comes through, then they'll open up and look around for something to eat.

We might manage to off ourselves, but the planet's a damned sight harder to kill.