Tardigrades As An Emerging Model Animal For Astrobiology Research: A Case Study

Tardigrades are extraordinarily resilient creatures, capable of withstanding radiation, extreme dehydration, temperature fluctuations, and even the vacuum of space, which makes them exemplary models for studying the viability of life in extraterrestrial conditions.

This chapter investigates the applicability of tardigrades as a model organism, as well as their benefits and drawbacks, noting the topics of their cryptobiosis, their resistance to radiation or other types of extreme stress, and their extended tolerance of extreme states in general. Tardigrades’ capacity to survive more than 5 years in a space environment generates knowledge around biological processes that can support life outside of Earth. Some tardigrade mutants show permanent resistance to stressors experienced during space flight.

These findings reveal potential implications for biotechnology, astrobiology, and human spaceflight. Protective proteins, such as Dsup, are produced by tardigrades and can protect the DNA of tardigrades from damage.

Dsup represents numerous exciting possibilities for innovation in synthetic biology and biomolecular engineering. Coupled with knowledge about genetic adaptations of tardigrades, we can improve our understanding of related social issues, such as stress tolerance, of other organisms for use in agriculture, medicine, and material science.

Equally important, though, is the completeness of the biological paradigm: recognizing tardigrades allows us to build cross-disciplinary ways to explore survival in extreme environments and strengthens the social conditions around science in both pure and applied lines of inquiry.

Tardigrades As An Emerging Model Animal For Astrobiology Research: A Case Study, Springer Nature

Astrobiology,