"Water Bears" First Animals to Survive Trip Into Space Naked

Adam Korbitz writes "New Scientist and Science Daily are reporting the results of an intriguing experiment in which scientists launched tardigrades or 'water bears' — tiny invertebrates about one millimeter long — into space onboard the European Space Agency's FOTON-M3 spacecraft. After 10 days in the vacuum of space, the satellite returned to Earth and the tardigrades were recovered. The tardigrades survived the vacuum just fine, but exposure to the Sun's ultraviolet radiation proved deadly for most of the water bears. However, some did survive. The tardigrades are the first animals to have survived such an experiment, a feat previously achieved only by lichens and bacteria."

Comments

First Posters

[sheepweevil]

The next animals to undergo the experiment: First Posters.

Re:First Posters

[hclewk]

Uh oh... Here comes PETA...

Re:First Posters

[way2trivial]

Peta may be concerned about the treatment of all animals--
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/08/six_flags_calls.php yes-- even cockroaches..

but I think even they would draw the line at first posters

Fantastic..

[Rob T Firefly]

Of the four water bears to survive the radiation in space, one is now invisible, one is really stretchy, one is on fire, and one is made of rocks.

You Fools!

[necro81]

Don't you realize that, by exposing them to such strenuous conditions that kill off the weak, you are only working to select a superbreed of tardigrades? I'm sure all that radiation have caused mutations to make them stronger, bigger, with voracious appetites and mind-control powers.

Pretty soon they'll be strong enough to challenge us! I say we launch a preemptive strike to eliminate all tardigrades immediately!

[I'm not actually crazy, this is all tongue-in-cheek alarmism, which is all the rage these days]

Re:You Fools!

[PlatyPaul]

You do raise a valid point about panspermia theory, oddly enough: escaping life from an extraterrestrial source could actually evolve (or at least perform selection) en route to its final destination. Given sufficient distances to be traveled (and that some of the original life survives), the "hardened" life forms that landed would be more likely to be adaptable to the necessary conditions at the destination.

One serious question to consider is: should we attempt to trigger artificial panspermia? Is it unethical?

Re:You Fools!

[somersault]

I don't see any reason why a lifeform that has evolved to survive in space should necessarily be better equipped to then survive elsewhere - any species that suddenly transitions from one environment to a vastly different one is going to have a hard time surviving. When a species adapts it doesn't necessarily keep all of its old abilities as well as the new ones, otherwise we'd all be able to breathe underwater!

Re:You Fools!

[pcgabe]

Mind-control powers? That doesn't sound good. We actually deal with tardigrades at work and you're raising some serious concerns. I plan to... hold on, someone's at the door.

IT WAS NO ONE. TARDIGRADES ARE NOT DANGEROUS. TARDIGRADES ARE OUR FRIENDS.

Re:You Fools!

[Hatta]

You do raise a valid point about panspermia theory, oddly enough: escaping life from an extraterrestrial source could actually evolve (or at least perform selection) en route to its final destination.

Evolution requires reproduction. It's hard enough for organisms to merely survive in space, let alone reproduce.

One serious question to consider is: should we attempt to trigger artificial panspermia? Is it unethical?

Isn't artificial panspermia the entire point of the space program?

Re:You Fools!

[jellomizer]

Thank got this slashdot user was using an old teletype system, to post that message otherwise he could have just deleted his previous text and we would things are all hunky dory.

Re:You Fools!

[93 Escort Wagon]

I don't see any reason why a lifeform that has evolved to survive in space should necessarily be better equipped to then survive elsewhere - any species that suddenly transitions from one environment to a vastly different one is going to have a hard time surviving. When a species adapts it doesn't necessarily keep all of its old abilities as well as the new ones, otherwise we'd all be able to breathe underwater!

That sound you just heard was the heads of a million comic book geeks exploding simultaneously.

Next step

[MyLongNickName]

Allow these water bears to reproduce, and take them back up. Rinse lather repeat, and we will have creatures capable of surviving long durations in space.

Re:Next step

[Tisha_AH]

For most species survival of extreme conditions is not the same thing as flourishing. This is a very interesting experiment and does open up quite a few possibilities for future research.

If scientists were attempting to encourage beneficial mutations to make it more likely to survive a space environment this can be done on the ground, in a laboratory. It is not difficult to create a vacuum environment, bathe it with UV light and high energy particle and put a petri dish in the middle of this environment.

To me it all smacks of the comic book and recent movies of "The Fantastic Four". Superior powers and prowess does not appear suddenly when exposed to some variant of radiation from space. In most cases, biological life-forms either 1). Die, 99.999% the time 2). Mutate, leaving a sickly, short-lived organism 3). Mutate but in an unexpected manner.

Scientists have been doing this sort of research of a century. It is the basis of many vaccines. (live-attenuated).

From this we could end up with a bacteria that would tolerate a near-space environment like mars with it's much diminished atmosphere and non-existent geomagnetic field. But what have we accomplished in the end?

Can we say that we created a bacteria that contaminated... err, colonized a different planet? I wonder if the same thought was in the head of primitive man when he threw the first coconut stuffed with a note in it, into the Pacific ocean.

Re:Next step

[NoPantsJim]

Also, the Zerg, in a manner of speaking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerg#Zerg

"Water Bears"

[Anonymous Coward]

Aquatic hairy gay men?

Re:"Water Bears"

[mother_reincarnated]

Yes

Re:"Water Bears"

[MPAB]

With lasers

Send them to Mars

[Colin Smith]

Over the generations gradually change their environment till it resembles mars. Send the survivors as first colonists.

 

Re:Send them to Mars

[oldspewey]

Send lichens instead ... at least they can get a start on the soil and atmospheric composition while we sort out our own problems down here.

Re: "Water Bears" First Animals to Survive Trip In

[Rie Beam]

The headline should really read "Tardigrades First Animals to Survive Exposure to Vacuum of Space". I mean, we've sent astronauts into orbit, and let them walk around, but usually not naked.

Summary Focus

[Azaril]

After RTFA /shock, the focus seems to be not on the fact they survived in space but more the fact that they survived being dosed repeteadly with huge amounts of radiation, without any apparent damage to the DNA structure.

Is Stephen Colbert aware of this?!?!?

[elrous0]

Sending bears into space, exposing them to radiation, making them stronger?!?! ARE YOU INSANE?!?!?

The Article Does Not Describe...

[techsoldaten]

This topic uses a poor choice of source material to discuss the subject. The article does not go into detail about the metabolic affects of exposure for the water bears, or the fundamental changes that were observed after their return to the lab. There were significant fundamental reactions the sample set had to exposure to space which was observable immediately upon their return to Earth, as detailed in other articles on the subject.

Scientists were surprised to observe the exterior of several of the water bears to be covered by a mineral substance and the creatures appeared to demonstrate increased resillence realitive to their size and mass. Several of the other specimens demonstrated exothermic reactions when exposed to air, a reaction that was described as actually burning the air around them. Other members of the specimen set were observed stretching to lengths beyond their normal length / width, in order of several magnigtudes, without any negative biological affects. Others developed a transparent biology when observed under an electron microscope, which appearently is not permanent in nature.

Attempts to observe the creatures in detail were complicated by some sort of field irradiating the slide, which was thought to possibly be magnetic.

M

Next time

[Aussie]

I propose they try it with lawyers next. I can provide a short list if they want.

Re:Next time

[umghhh]

What if they survive but be stronger than ever?
What will you do than?

Explosive Decompression

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

I for one am upset and disappointed that the water bears did not gruesomely bulge to engorged proportions and then loudly(physics be damned) and spectacularly explode in a sanguineous shower of viscera, all while screaming "QUAAAIDD!!!". I think the experimenters could have done better.

Save the Water Bears!

[homesnatch]

I find it detestable that we are doing these kinds of experiments on water bears!

We need to protest... I will start a campaign!

--Nuke the Whales--

Naked Bears?

[Rie Beam]

Suggested list of headlines that do not suck:

"Tardigrades First Animals to Survive the Vacuum of Space"
"'Water Bears" First Animals to Withstand Exposure to Naked Space"
"First Animal to Survive the Vacuum of Space"

Come on, Timothy -- Naked tardigrades? I trust you can do better than that...

Sounds like the beginning of an sf story

[Progman3K]

Did these things

- Create an army of the undead
- Trigger a plague
- Develop intelligence and a taste for human flesh?

All kidding aside, it might reinforce the theory of panspermia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia

I saw tardigrades on Animal Planet once

[Kligat]

There was a countdown of animals that had the most extreme survival conditions, and they outperformed cockroaches by quite a bit. They used computer software to show what the equivalent for a human would be under those circumstances, and visualized the radiation with drums of nuclear waste and bombs or something. Not only can they survive no pressure in the vacuum of space, but they can survive under thousands of pounds of water pressure in the ocean.

One scientist had left a tardigrade in a miniature desert for 20 years, and it popped right back up when they just added water. They also can survive extreme heat, salt, and acid. The most amazing thing is that they can probably be found in your own backyard.

Re:I saw tardigrades on Animal Planet once

[GleeBot]

Not that amazing, it is a hardy species that can survive most anything... So if they are a successful species then why wouldn't they be common in your back yard.

Well, I think you could be legitimately amazed. Being able to deal with extreme conditions imposes a cost on a species in terms of the biological machinery necessary to survive those conditions. Under mild conditions, such species are often out-competed by less hardy species, which may be more focused on more efficient feeding rather than surviving hard radiation, for example.

In other words, specializing for the worst case often leaves you at a disadvantage in the common case.

Next subjects for experiments...

[ciaran.mchale]

Members of the general public were polled on what type of animals they thought should be used for the next "can it survive the vacuum and radiation of space" experiments. Some of the most common answers were:

• Politicians and lawyers were voted by almost everyone.
• Microsoft executives were voted by Linux fanboys.
• Dapper Drake, Edgy Eft, Feisty Fawn, Gutsy Gibbon and Hardy Heron were voted by Microsoft fanboys.

Interestingly, the RIAA was also a popular choice, but it was rejected on the basis that a multi-celled organism without a heart might not be alive. Some members of the public suggested it should be subjected to the "will it blend?" test to make sure.

Re: "Water Bears" First Animals to Survive Trip In

[ozbird]

I am just afraid of scaring those guys with telescopes, if I go 'Naked' in space:)

Obligatory:

• "That's no moon..."
• "... and isn't certainly isn't a heavenly body."
• "Hey, I can see Uranus!"
• "AARRGGHH! Okay, who's the wiseguy that put a water bear on my lens?"

Re:Quite wrong!

[Sj0]

It should be noted that just becuase this species can SURVIVE exposure to space doesn't mean they can THRIVE in it.

This species is capable of entering a state of suspended animation that renders it rather resistant to extreme heat and cold, dehydration and hard radiation.

You are wrong

[SmallFurryCreature]

I think you are very wrong indeed, if you create vacuum, bathe it with UV light and bombard it with high energy particles you would find it very hard to put a petri dish in that spot.

Personally, I would put the petri dish in first, then turn on the vacuum and radiation, saves you having to request yet another research assistent. You obviously never done paperwork.