It’s fascinating how fossils can give us a glimpse of history. Archeological finds are helpful in our understanding of prehistoric life and even creatures that exist until today. Recently, a group of scientists published their findings of tardigrades. These are creatures known as water bears or moss piglets. And they are key to understanding their evolution. Let’s get to know what a tardigrade is and why discovering them matters.
What is a Tardigrade?
Before we uncover what the researchers have found regarding tardigrades, let’s better understand what they are. A tardigrade is a microscopic creature with eight legs. You’re thinking, are they like spiders? Nope, they look like a cross between bears (unfortunately, not as furry) and small insects. Their other name is moss piglets.
These microscopic creatures reside in water, but you can see them on land too. What’s unique about these tardigrades, too, is they can survive in extreme temperatures.
The American Scientist says they can survive in temperatures as cold as -200 degrees Celsius (-328 F) and as hot as 150 degrees Celsius (302 F). It’s all thanks to their damage suppressor, allowing them to survive harsh environments.
Also, they seem soft or squishy, but it has an exoskeleton similar to grasshoppers and other related insects. They’re by far some of the toughest microscopic creatures ever! Even going so far as being revived, all thanks to cryptobiosis.
Are they harmful to humans?
Studies suggest that a tardigrade doesn’t cause any danger or harm to humans. However, creatures smaller than a tardigrade should be wary of being in their way.
What Are Their Findings?
On Oct 10, 2021, Mapalo et al. made their study public regarding their discovery of tardigrades inside a Dominican amber. Their paper was published in The Royal Society. There, they report their findings of a fossilized Dominican amber that contained a rare species of tardigrades. The researchers found the fossil in La Cumbre, Dominican Republic.
Finding this fossil was extra special because it contained a Cenozoic era tardigrade, marking the start of Earth’s current geological age. It began over 60 million years ago!
One of the senior researchers and authors of the study, Phil Barden, believes their findings are a “once-in-a-generation” event.
Why Are Finding These Tardigrades a Big Deal?
Evolution is the only answer to this question. Having discovered these tiny creatures will help future scientists learn more about the prehistoric age and other geological eras.
Lead author Marc Mapalo says that it’s the first time they were able to have a clear image of tardigrades. They can study its morphology in-depth, especially its mouthparts and claws.
They even named them Paradoryphoribus chronocarribeus. The name comes from the region and the Greek word for “time.”
The fossil will reside in its new home, the American Museum of Natural History.
Tardigrades in Space?
It’s not only celebrities and billionaires going to space! Even these small creatures have the privilege of going to space, well, mostly for scientific purposes. Business Insider reported that these tardigrades were transported for a resupply mission to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
There, NASA will research the 5,000 tardigrades and observe how indestructible they are. It was crucial for them to study these tiny creatures and see what they could apply in keeping astronauts safe in space.
But it’s not the first time that tardigrades made it into space? In April 2019, a crash caused the spillage of tardigrades on the moon. Despite that, scientists are hopeful that these tough creatures will survive.
While they had a mishap in 2019, it was in 2007 that researchers discovered these creatures could ACTUALLY survive in space.
They really are something, huh?
