This article explores the remarkable adaptations of tardigrades, and microscopic water bears, including their ability to undergo cryptobiosis—a reversible state induced by extreme conditions. Tardigrades, thriving in harsh limno-terrestrial habitats, exhibit resilience to desiccation, freezing, and other stressors. The study emphasizes the physiological intricacies of cryptobiosis, protective mechanisms like “tun” formation, and the species Richtersius coronifer's survival in extreme environments. Tardigrades, deemed "superpowered" by entering cryptobiosis, play a crucial role in astrobiology and space research, showcasing their resilience to space vacuum, radiation, and high temperatures. Radiation tolerance studies reveal unexpected efficiency in DNA repair mechanisms, challenging previous assumptions. At the end of this Article ,lists of all Hard words and Scientific terms are given for better understanding.
| Published on 29 Mar 2024