Living things / DAY 02 OF 40
The tiny animals that took on space.
Dried tardigrades survived a journey that would ruin most holidays.
Here's the strange part.
A ten-day trip into space would wreck most travel plans. In a 2007 experiment, some dried tardigrades survived exposure in low-Earth orbit and resumed activity after rehydration. Survival depended strongly on the radiation they received. The remarkable result is tolerance under particular conditions, not a tiny animal happily strolling through space without consequences. (Science / AAAS)
Species, dehydration state and UV exposure matter. 'Tardigrades survive space' does not mean every animal survived every treatment.
REALITY CHECK · TRUE OR FALSE?
Tiny astronaut. Giant asterisk.
Every tardigrade survived every exposure treatment.
Go straight to the receipts.
Curious about the methods, dates or details? Open the original source and keep the caveat in view.
ORIGINAL SOURCEScience / AAASOpen publication ↗NEXT IN THE 40-DAY TRAIL / DAY 03You are not ten times more bacteria. ↗