Two newly published scientific studies continue to shock the scientific community with the incredible diversity and immortality of Tardigrades, the tiny creatures believed to be invading the Moon.
According to Science Alert, in the first study, Finnish scientists discovered a completely new species of Tardigrades living on lichens and moss in Rokua National Park, an area renowned for its stunning sand dune landscapes shaped by glaciers and wind.
The research team, led by biologist Matteo Vecchi from the University of Jyvaskyla, initially aimed to collect samples of moss, lichen, grass roots, and fallen leaves from the dunes. However, in this extremely inhospitable environment, they not only found Tardigrades crawling around but also identified a new species.
Close-up of the new species – (Photo: Zoological Studies).
To adapt to the sandy environment, the Tardigrades here have evolved into a species with smaller limbs to navigate the unique terrain more easily.
The new species’ appearance reminded scientists of the character Nagini from the Harry Potter novels, a woman cursed and transformed into a limbless creature, leading them to name it Macrobiotus naginae.
The dunes are typically lethal to all animal species due to prolonged periods of almost no water, but Tardigrades once again demonstrate their ability to desiccate and then revive in the presence of water, allowing them to thrive.
In a completely independent second study, Dr. Matteo Vecchi discovered another way Tardigrades can survive beyond desiccation and revival: by hitching a ride on predatory snails.
Since snails are much larger than Tardigrades, they can easily consume them. Interestingly, Tardigrades also “lead themselves” to the snails to “hitch a ride” when they need to travel long distances, as the size difference allows the snails to move much faster than the Tardigrades.
But what happens if they are unfortunate enough to be eaten? Researchers attempted to revive 10 Tardigrades from the droppings of wild snails in a garden in Finland and were astonished to find that 5 of them were still alive.
In another experiment, they allowed several snails to consume 694 Tardigrades and found 218 of them alive in the resulting droppings. A further 78 were present in the droppings but had died, while 398 others were presumed to have been digested in the snails’ stomachs.
However, the survival rate of 31% among the Tardigrades after being eaten was enough to astonish researchers. The surviving individuals remained healthy and successfully reproduced when kept and monitored in the laboratory.
Both studies were published in Zoological Studies and Ecology, providing intriguing data about the immortal creatures that scientists worldwide hope to explore further: turning them into astronauts on space missions or even the ambitious goal of hybridizing them with humans to provide astronauts with certain genes that help them withstand cosmic radiation.
This tiny monster has been discovered in every extreme environment on Earth, surviving numerous harrowing trials. Some are even believed to be invading the Moon after having fallen from a crashed Israeli spacecraft a few years ago.
