NationStates Jolt Archive

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are amazing little things. Seems they can survive in space
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news5_head_dn14690

They must be the hardest creature going - wolverines, honey badgers, roaches, and scorpions are nothing in comparison. Anybody have a tougher critter?

R2-D2. *nod*

R2-D2. *nod*

* tries to teach a water bear a message to carry into space *

No, but I definitely want a tardigrade now!

(First thought this was gonna be about bad grades received for being tardy...)

That's pretty amazing. I for one welcome our virtually indestructible water bear overlords.

"That's not a very nice way to treat a bear!"

QI rules. Phill Jupitus especially.

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are amazing little things. Seems they can survive in space
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news5_head_dn14690

They must be the hardest creature going - wolverines, honey badgers, roaches, and scorpions are nothing in comparison. Anybody have a tougher critter?

All those years spent researching flying monkeys...wasted.....

I....welcome...alien overlords...yaddayaddayadda.

pretty damn impressive. They should shoot a few million onto Mars or Europa and let them colonise those places.

Let's read the article more carefully:

In one of the two species tested, 68% of specimens that were shielded from higher-energy radiation from the Sun were revived within 30 minutes of being rehydrated. Many of these tardigrades went on to lay eggs that successfully hatched.

But only a handful of animals survived full exposure to the Sun's UV light, which is more than 1000 times stronger in space than on the Earth's surface.

They still need protection from 'higher-energy radiation' to survive as a group. It's not like they're totally indestructible.

Tardigrades are awesome. When I was a kid, I did a report on them. There used to be three classes of tardigrades. One was strictly limited to a hot spring. Near Nagasaki.

The hot spring got buried by an earthquake and they all died.

The hot spring got buried by an earthquake and they all died.

That makes me sad.

The fact that Nagasaki got vaporized a couple years later probably didn't help.

I now have images of giant mutant tardigrades suddenly arising from deep underground. Much better than proof reading a directory to work out where all the diacritical marks should go.

The hot spring got buried by an earthquake and they all died.
That's what they WANT you to think... buwahahaha....

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are amazing little things. Seems they can survive in space
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news5_head_dn14690

They must be the hardest creature going - wolverines, honey badgers, roaches, and scorpions are nothing in comparison. Anybody have a tougher critter?

Now we definately MUST consider the right to arm bears. *nod*

They must be the hardest creature going - wolverines, honey badgers, roaches, and scorpions are nothing in comparison. Anybody have a tougher critter?

Mr. T as shown in this biographical comic strip (http://www.faans.com/index.php?p=1721) is tougher.

It looks like the elders of Tralfamadore have finally accomplished their goal in creating life on this Earth. Ah well, it was a nice run while it lasted, I wonder what will happen to us now?

I....welcome...alien overlords...yaddayaddayadda.

pretty damn impressive. They should shoot a few million onto Mars or Europa and let them colonise those places.

Where do you think they came from in the first place? <cues spooky music>

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are amazing little things. Seems they can survive in space
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news5_head_dn14690

They must be the hardest creature going - wolverines, honey badgers, roaches, and scorpions are nothing in comparison. Anybody have a tougher critter?

The Deinococcus Radiodurans (q.v. on wiki, excerpt follows)

Deinococcus radiodurans is an extremophilic bacterium, one of the most radioresistant organisms known. It can survive cold, dehydration, vacuum, and acid, and is therefore known as a polyextremophile and has been listed as "the world's toughest bacterium" in The Guinness Book Of World Records.
The name "Deinococcus radiodurans" means "terrifying berry that withstands radiation". The species was formerly also called Micrococcus radiodurans and Deinobacter radiodurans. As a consequence of its hardiness it has been nicknamed "Conan the Bacterium" (a play on "Conan the Barbarian").

The Deinococcus Radiodurans (q.v. on wiki, excerpt follows)

Deinococcus radiodurans is an extremophilic bacterium, one of the most radioresistant organisms known. It can survive cold, dehydration, vacuum, and acid, and is therefore known as a polyextremophile and has been listed as "the world's toughest bacterium" in The Guinness Book Of World Records.
The name "Deinococcus radiodurans" means "terrifying berry that withstands radiation". The species was formerly also called Micrococcus radiodurans and Deinobacter radiodurans. As a consequence of its hardiness it has been nicknamed "Conan the Bacterium" (a play on "Conan the Barbarian").

You win.

ew bugs!!!

*sprays can of raid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Pb9b0cJBQ) in thread*

not so highly evolved now are ya, Mr Pre-historic bacteria

They still need protection from 'higher-energy radiation' to survive as a group. It's not like they're totally indestructible.
Quite. The Van Allen Belt would nuke them like so many... err... nukes...