Water bears survive open space

The creature seen here is capable of surviving the harsh conditions of space. While it looks like an extraterrestrial, it's actually a tardigrade, a tiny eight-legged invertebrae also known as a water bear. Microbiologists from the Institute of Aerospace Medicine sent tardigrades into orbit last September and exposed them to the cosmic radiation and deep vacuum of space. They returned alive. From Wired:

The tardigrades had already been coaxed into an anhydrobiotic state, during which their metabolisms slow by a factor of 10,000. This allows them to survive vacuums, starvation, dessication and temperatures above 300 degrees Fahrenheit and below minus 240 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once in orbit, the tardigrade box popped open. Some were exposed to low-level cosmic radiation, and others to both cosmic and unfiltered solar radiation. All were exposed to the frigid vacuum of space...

Just how the invertebrate astronauts protected themselves "remains a mystery," wrote the researchers.

Invertebrate Astronauts Make Space History (Wired.com)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Lucifer

Despite denials from the justice department, this is definitive evidence of our administration engaging in waterbear torture.
Nelson.C

Has anyone sequenced tardigrade DNA and confirmed that they actually come from Earth? Perhaps they’re the answer to the Fermi paradox?
Ugly Canuck

A mystery? Are they still allowed?
Duffong

Hell, if I was built like a stuffed teddy bear with a tough lining I’d probably survive space too.
Kieran O’Neill

#14, #21: I’m sure if you bugged these guys enough, they’d add it to their product line …
pauldrye

Tardigrades have been partially sequenced and are related to arthropods and annelids, Nelson C.

Even without this, their physical arrangement and interior structure is profoundly earthly: ventral nervous system and no spiral holoblastic cleavage just like the majority of animals, hemocoel and hemolymph developing the usual way, HOX genes, and on and on.
philipacamaniac

Shouldn’t “tiny eight-legged vertebrae” actually read “tiny eight-legged invertebrate”?
jireva

I know it’s probably just a typo, but, water bears are certainly not “tiny eight-legged vertebrae”. They’re invertebrates.
midsentence

Everyone had one of these when I was a kid, the face would light up when you squeezed it.
hukes

I think the first word in the third line should be “invertebrate”.
Lucifer

From my observation of the photograph, water bears seem more closely related to lowrider velour uphostery than to arthropods.
jimh

“It sure is cold in deep space, Yogi.”
Nelson.C

Paul @5: Undoubtably an accurate answer. I was hoping for something a little more playful, though.
trimeta

Tardigrades are basically unkillable. Seriously, we’re lucky they’re not omnivorous, because if they were they’d be goo-like in their global threat. (What would that be, bear-goo? Tardi-goo?)
ulmedas

I want a giant plush one!!! They look SOOooo cuddly.
Jake0748

Really fascinating, it gives more credence to the Panspermia theory.
Jack Daniel

Great. Manatee Zerglings.
sammich

Trimeta@13 Tardigravy surely?
Beryllium

That looks like a *really* comfy couch. Does it have massaging action, as well?
MarlboroTestMonkey7

I want a spaceship covered with them to visit Mars.
David Pescovitz

@6, 7, 9: Yes, thank you.
mdh

#15, exactly.

There is one more data point to support the possibility of Panspermia.
trueblue2

21: Ok, I’m not much of a stuffed animal fan, but that is adorable.
macegr

Ulmedas @ 14: This exists. Probably not for sale, but still inspiring: Plush tardigrade
i_prefer_yeti

I guess the cold vastness of open space isn’t as un-bear-able as once thought.
satman

That’s no water bear, that’s a moss piglet.

Great website here:

http://www.q7.com/~vvv/tardigrade/

an excerpt:
“the tardigrade [sometimes called water bears or, to my unending delight, moss piglets] is a microscopic organism, of arthropode-like appearance, but so physiologically unusual it has a phylum all its own (tardigarda). lolling about in its warm, mushy home, the tardigrade is kind of the microbiological equivalent to a damp couch potato slacker. invisible to the naked eye and measuring a scant couple hundred microns across, our little friend still packs a wollop when needed. with an impenetrable exoskeleton and powerklaws of doom,this tiny fella is not to be messed with.”

I’ve been partial to these tiny critters since I received my first microscope for Xmas when I was 10.

Amoebas, paramecium and tardigrades, oh my.
anthony

Looks like someone chewed a piece of gum and it took off part of their braces.
Mojave

wow…can’t believe it took until post #33 to welcome our new water bear, etc…..you’re slipping people. slipping!!
starcadia

I’m no astrobiologist, but judging from the picture I think Dr. Phil might be able to survive in the vacuum and radiation of space as well.
starcadia

@#39 JIMH: You said it, not me, but yeah, that would be scientifically hilarious.
buddy66

Felt water bears, anyone?
guy_jin

@#8: I know exactly what you’re talking about. I had the worm-looking one.

Also, we need to take panspermia from theory to reality; launch millions of the little boogers into deep space!
Frank_in_Virginia

Yes, but they like the trip?
In Space No One Can Hear You Scream.
John Reppion

I wrote an article called “It’s Raining Them” for The End is Nigh #3 back in 2006 about Tardigrades and other extremophiles and the possibility that some of them might be planet hoppers.

The magazine is still available at http://www.endisnigh.co.uk.
sirk

#1 threat to Americans in space??

Water Bears!

-Stephen Colbert, coming soon…
heresiarch514

Awww, they’re so cute! Now I’m going to find out they live in feces or something, but until then, go waterbears!
jaysonlorenzen

Oh man, I do not see any @22 replies, is it just me then.
Chocolatey Shatner

Now they’ve been exposed to cosmic radiation. Mega Pi-pi, anyone?

P.S. This episode is a thousand times better in Spanish.
Jeff

Panspermia? Would these things survive the crash, or the heat? I think our atmosphere keeps this planet pretty safe from wondering bits of life.
hubbledeej

“This allows them to survive vacuums, starvation, dessication and temperatures above 300 degrees Fahrenheit and below minus 240 degrees Fahrenheit.” Just like Sea Monkeys! I think we should call them Space Monkeys!
OLAF9000

I for one welcome our new space/water bear overlords!
Enoch_Root

The real point here is not that tardigrades survive in open space. Both bacteria and lichen can do the same. The really impressive thing is that these are multicellular eukaryotic organisms that can do this.

New Scientists has a better article about it here: http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-vacuum-of-space.html
monstrinho_do_biscoito

“…and i for one, welcome our new water bear overlords”
bakermiller

Thyey look like some charater from my comic….

sorry>>.pdf file 4.5Mo
did this 3 years ago. I had never actually SEEN them for real..

tunghat.ca/images/mokoto.pdf
santellana

Vogons!
Ugly Canuck

I would like to second Guy jin’s comment #27.
Seed the cosmos with life!
kitchenfirebug

For #8 and #27, A glow worm?

http://www.vingus.com/images/glowworm2.jpg
Pipenta

Wanna see one dance?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1gSxppAhM&feature=related
Glossolalia Black

Water Bears are unbearably cute, and now that their space-hardiness has been proven, they are a natural shoo-in for some marketing genius to come up with some (macro-sized) stuffed ones for the kidlets touring NASA or something.
byronba

BUDDY66 @26:

Nope, can’t say that I ever have… felt Water Bears that is!
jimh

@#25 STARCADIA: Yes, he certainly could. At least, I’d like to see your theory tested.