This only creature known to exist on the lunar surface certainly appears freaky. It looks alien with its four clawed feet and an appearance similar to an air mattress with vacuum attachment parts. Most tardigrades in reality are tiny Earthlings. The only way they got there was through an Israeli spacecraft that crashed in 2019. Some of these creatures were included as a time capsule. Scientists and internet users have been questioning whether the hardy microorganisms that are able to survive radiation and extreme heat could have made it through the crash on the moon. Jasmine Nirody is an organismal biologist at the University of Chicago, who studies tardigrades. She says that it’s “almost certain” that nothing survived. If the capsule which contained the tardigrades survived intact, then it is possible that the creature are in suspended animation.
Tardigrades: What Are They? The Tardigrade, or water bear, is not just one type of animal. It’s a whole phylum of hundreds of different species that are all specialized for specific ecological niches. Some of these extreme species can be found on every continent. The smallest species of these tiny creatures are about the size and shape of one period in normal font on an ordinary page. Taxonomically, these are the closest relatives to arthropods – the phylum which includes insects and spiders. Scientists are known for their remarkable ability to endure conditions that other organisms cannot. The worms can survive extremes in temperature, pressure, water and oxygen. The animals can survive radiation and starvation, which are obstacles that they may face on the Moon. Tardigrades or water bears may help slow the aging process in humans
What is the story of how Tardigrades reached the Moon?
A failed Israeli mission that was supposed to create a digital capsule is the reason why people even debate whether or not there’s life on moon. Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft was unmanned and included 1,000 tardigrades in a capsule that also held digital copies of Wikipedia, books, etc. It was almost an afterthought to add the tardigrades, as previous research showed that the creatures could survive in space’s vacuum for some time. The spacecraft, however, crashed in April 2019 due to equipment failure. The time capsule’s contents and tardigrades may have survived impact or crash, but it is not known. Nirody is unsure, but admits, “I have never crashed any tardigrades into anything so I can’t say.”
What is the best way for Tardigrades to survive on the Moon? For tardigrades to survive the harsh conditions they encounter, it is necessary that they enter into a state similar to hibernation. Nirody says that this process usually takes several minutes. If the tardigrades were not in this condition when they crashed, then the force would have affected them more. Nirody says that once they are in this condition, the tardigrades will survive decades. We don’t know for how long, because we haven’t tested them longer. They were dehydrated when they were placed inside the capsule. They still face extreme temperatures. Without an atmosphere, temperatures can range from a low of -208 Fahrenheit at night to a high of 250 Fahrenheit during the day. Testing has shown that the tardigrades are able to survive in these conditions, provided they stay dehydrated. The radiation that they might experience without Earth’s protective atmosphere is also possible.
Can Tardigrades live on the Moon
? Even though it’s not life per se, being suspended in a state of dehydration is certainly not. To reproduce, tardigrades must leave this state. They don’t usually do so unless they come across water. But there is no such thing on the Moon. Nirody, a scientist at the University of California San Diego says that tardigrades cannot come to life until they have been rehydrated. After rehydrating, water bears would need to eat, and that means plant cells, small invertebrates or algae. Not moon dust. It’s less important that they live, than that they don’t. It’s possible for them to come out of the suspended state if astronauts return to the crash and recover the time capsule with the tardigrades still intact. However, this would require removing the tardigrades from the moon. Nirody says that they could be dropped off to sleep on the Moon and picked up later. If they return [from rehydration] to bad conditions, then they will die. There is still a small chance that tardigrades will survive on the moon, though they may not be living it to its fullest.
Read more : Tardigrade tattoos could pave the way for microscopic medical devices
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NASA. Joshua Rapp Learn, a science writer based in Washington D.C. and a multiple award winner, is the author of Weather on Moon (19659022). He is an Albertan expat who contributes articles to many science magazines, including National Geographic, The New York Times and The Guardian.
