Tardigrade (awwwwwwww)

[SallyMander]

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I love those! They're so weird, and cute in an ugly invetebrate sort of way.

[SallyMander]

4. LOL

I told my biodiversity class that tardigrades are adorable... they all laughed at me until they actually saw one! :D

[mike_c]

2. I LOVES me some water bears....

I see them occasionally when students in the botany bryophyte class find them under their microscopes in wet moss. That ALWAYS leads to a class-wide WTF is THAT?

[SallyMander]

5. I love telling my students about all the things scientists have done

to try to off tardigrades... put them in acid, exposed them to radiation, shot them into space, etc etc. Water bears are bad-ass!!! :D

[IzaSparrow]

3. Did they find that on Mars?

:P

[SallyMander]

6. They would be a good bet

for having the ability to GET to Mars... :think:

[stuntcat]

7. **cuddles**

It really is darling, those funny feet. It looks like you could knock it over and disable it heh (unless it's 4 feet tall)

[SallyMander]

9. No it is very very tiny!

It does have a certain turtlishness, though! :rofl:

[stuntcat]

11. ok *whew

I just read up there that they're little bad-asses, then I just had to hope they can't jump too far :scared:

[SallyMander]

12. I don't think they jump at all...

Just lumber along in the little film of water on mosses and the like. They're really amazing to watch (under a microscope!) :D

[lost-in-nj]

8. ok

now your scaring me....

that thing is creepy

please, please
don't tell me you like dust mites in my bed...

promise


:scared: :scared:

lost

[SallyMander]

10. Nah, mites are not nearly as cute

:D


It's very tiny and it lives in moss, mostly... you don't have to worry about it! :hug:

[quip]

13. My question: are they essentially immortal?

[SallyMander]

14. They go into an inactive state called a "tun"

When environmental conditions are bad... The tun can basically withstand anything. From Wikipedia:

Tardigrades have been known to withstand the following extremes while in this state:

* Temperature — tardigrades can survive being heated for a few minutes to 151°C or being chilled for days at -200°C, or for a few minutes at -272°C. (1° warmer than absolute zero).<7>
* Pressure — they can withstand the extremely low pressure of a vacuum and also very high pressures, many times greater than atmospheric pressure. It has recently been proven that they can survive in the vacuum of space. Recent research has notched up another feat of endurability; apparently they can withstand 6,000 atmospheres pressure, which is nearly six times the pressure of water in the deepest ocean trench. <8>
* Dehydration - tardigrades have been shown to survive nearly one decade in a dry state.<9>
* Radiation — as shown by Raul M. May from the University of Paris, tardigrades can withstand 5,700 grays or 570,000 rads of x-ray radiation. (Ten to twenty grays or 1,000-2,000 rads could be fatal to a human). The only explanation, thus far, for this ability is that their lowered hydration state provides less reactants for the ionizing radiation. It ought to be noted that radiation doesn't seem to fit in with these other extreme states. There simply aren't typical areas of massive radiation, especially where we find them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrada



I read about some tardigrades that "came back to life" after a moss specimen in a museum was rehydrated -- and they had been inert for 130 years!!! :wow:

But while they're in an active state i assume they age and die relatively quickly... :shrug:


Edit to add link. :)

[appal_jack]

15. w00t w00t waterbears!!!

tardigrades go to eleven!!111!!1!1!


SallyMander is my favoritest bio-geek!!!1!1!!!

w00t!1!!! eleven!1!!!1!

-app

[SallyMander]

16. ...

:7


:yourock:


:loveya:

[appal_jack]

17. :-)

:loveya:






That late-night post of mine above was an example of what comes out when app's blood alcohol content goes to 'eleven.'
:D


But heck, if surviving radiation, dessication, cooking, freezing, and all that and then just happily lumbering along the wet moss again isn't going to eleven, I don't know what is...

So I'll say it again: Tardigrades! W00t! eleven!111!11!11

-app (presently sober)


:hug:

[SallyMander]

18. ROFL

Hope you weren't feeling too bad this morning? :hug:

[appal_jack]

19. a little fuzzy, but not bad

Maybe I have some Tardigrade in my ancestry...:think:

...or maybe it's just the Irish and Italian folks who have passed down their love of whiskey and red wine, with a reasonable tolerance for both.:bounce:


Happy eclipse night SallyMander & all the Lounge!!!


-app

[SallyMander]

22. Tardigrade would be a good DU nick

If i ever get tombstoned... :evilgrin:


Did you see the eclipse? Has it happened yet? It's snowy and overcast here... x(

[texas1928]

20. They make an ointment to clear those up.

[SallyMander]

23. ...

:spray:

:spank:

[redqueen]

21. Awwww... that IS cute!

:loveya:

Hah, it reminds me of the aliens from The Fifth Element, only with extra legs, and not walking upright, or huge. :P

[SallyMander]

24. LOL!

Way less intimidating :D

:hi:

[hippywife]

25. Him's on

him tippy-toes! LOL Never seen one before.

Doing well this evening? Feeling all better?

[SallyMander]

26. You wouldn't see them without a microscope

:D


I am feeling better today, thanks! Got lots of work done, and now i'm just relaxing.

Hope you're well! :hug:

[no name no slogan]

27. Aw, he's so cuddly!

I just wanna pick him up and hug him

[SallyMander]

28. I think it would be fun to accessorize him if i were good at Photoshop

Maybe some Groucho glasses... maybe a wig and a feather boa... :rofl:

[no name no slogan]

31. ROFL

I'd offer to assist you, but I don't have PS on this computer, and my Gimp-Fu is very weak. :rofl:

[Dangerously Amused]

29. Tardigrade Theme Song: I Will Survive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I


:7

[SallyMander]

30. OMG!

:spray:


PERFECT!!! :rofl:

[eppur_se_muova]

32. Since there's a Zodiac thread in the Lounge, I'll guess your sign ...

Aquarius, the Water Bear



Hey, at first I was just kidding, but I do see a faint resemblance!

[SallyMander]

33. That must be the sign for the tardigrade

Myself, i'm a Gemini! :D