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Creature Survives Naked in Space

2008-09-09 09:20:00

A tiny, six-legged critter that can suspend all biological activity in extreme

environments survived a journey to space that would have instantly killed any

human and most other life forms.

In the first test of its kind, researchers exposed the hardy segmented

creatures, called "water bears," to the open and harsh vacuum of space, with

all its deadly radiation, on a spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Many of them

survived.

The water bears, known formally as tardigrades, have an ability similar to

brine shrimp (also known as Sea Monkeys), which are familiar to many children

for their ability to come to life after being sent to homes by mail-order.

Tardigrades are speck-sized things, less than 1.5 millimeters long. They live

on wet lichens and mosses, but when their environment dries out, they just wait

for a return of water. They also resist heat, cold and radiation.

The radiation resistance was most surprising to scientists.

The tardigrades were aboard the FOTON-M3 spacecraft launched by the European

Space Agency (ESA) in September 2007 and were exposed to open space conditions,

the scientists reported today. They were examined upon return to Earth.

Most survived exposure to the vacuum and cosmic rays, and some even survived

the exposure to the deadly levels of solar UV radiation, which are more than

1,000 times higher than on the surface of the Earth.

The survivors "could reproduce fine after their space trip," according to a

statement released today by Cell Press, the journal that published results of

the test.

How the post-flight tardigrades could do it "remains a mystery," the

researchers write.

UV rays consist of high-energy light particles that cause severe damage to

living tissue, as is evident when you get a sunburn. But more so, they can also

damage cells' genetic material, causing skin cancer, for example. The

radiation, in wide-open space, also is thought to be sterilizing.

The work was led by K. Ingemar Jonsson of Kristianstad University in Sweden.