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What can humans learn from tardigrades?

2026-04-26 10:39:00, Kuriozitete CNA

What can humans learn from tardigrades?

The tardigrade is easy to overlook. It's a microscopic creature, about 1 mm long, but up close, these invertebrates have thick faces, claws, and dagger-like teeth.

Perhaps this is why they are also known as water bears or musk pigs.

Tardigrades can be found almost anywhere on Earth, from your backyard to the Himalayas to the bottom of the ocean. They've even been found in highly acidic Japanese hot springs.

Tardigrades are believed to have existed for about half a billion years. And they are incredibly resilient. In 1995, seemingly 'dead' tardigrades were brought back to life after eight years.?

What can humans learn from tardigrades?

Prof. Thomas Boothby, a molecular biologist at the University of Wyoming, says the tardigrades' resilience may be linked to their small size, which means they are distributed everywhere on Earth.

"They can be deposited in a pretty harsh place," he says. "So maybe tardigrades have evolved to survive all these stresses because they've been exposed to them."

Scientists have tested what kinds of stresses these tiny creatures can survive. They have discovered that tardigrades can withstand high amounts of radiation, heat up to 150°C, and being shot with bullets.

Tardigrades have also survived in space. Astronauts on the International Space Station have studied how they cope with microgravity.

What can humans learn from tardigrades?

And, the incredible survival powers of tardigrades may have some lessons for humans.

For example, understanding their ability to survive in adverse environments can help us preserve food and medicine.

And their resistance may also have applications for cancer treatment.

Radiotherapy is often used to kill cancer cells, but it also damages other parts of the body. Researchers hope tardigrades could hold the secret to protecting healthy, non-cancerous cells during treatment./BBC 





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