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Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are some of the more fascinating creatures on earth. Only millimeters large, these miniscule organisms can survive the most intense conditions, from freezing temperatures to space. These tiny creatures live on moss and in almost any wet environment.
A large cohort of Danish students recently enhanced the scientific world’s knowledge of these amazing micro-animals by discovering nine previously unknown species of tardigrade, according to The Optimist Daily.
Discovering Nine New Species
The citizen science project was run by an organization called Mass Experiment. In the framework of the project, nearly 30,000 Danish students, guided by teachers and scientists, went out into the field, from local parks to cemeteries, to collect 8,000 samples of moss and lichen.
The samples were then sent to the Natural History Museum of Denmark where they were analysed. Low quality samples and samples containing common species were discarded. Fifty five tardigrade species were identified in the remaining 700 samples. Nine of those species were previously unknown to scientists.
The Mass Experiment project's research was published in Frontiers in Zoology in October of 2024, and pretty much quadrupled the number of known species of tardigrades.
Why Tardigrades?
But why is it so important to study tardigrades? The answer lies in the fact that these creatures are truly exceptional. They can survive freezing temperatures, incredibly high temperatures, radiation, vacuums, and more, reported the Smithsonian Magazine. Though they are water micro-animals, they can survive years in dry conditions due to proteins that protect their cells.
“The more species you know and more environments in which they are present you know,” Dr. Roberto Guidetti, a zoologist at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy told Smithsonian Magazine; “the better you can understand their ecology, their evolution and also the mechanisms that led to the development of these extraordinary capabilities.”
By studying these micro-animals, scientists have been able to create a dry vaccine, which does not require refrigeration. This could be a boon in places where electricity and refrigeration are scarce. Likewise, the hope is that the study of tardigrades can help slow down aging, help assess environmental health, or even be used to advance space travel.
However, as The Optimist Daily noted, beyond its contributions to current science, the study has also contributed to the future of science by engaging young people in hands-on scientific discovery. 60 percent of the students involved in the project now report that they are more interested in science than they were when they first started.
Tardigrades are the perfect subject for a citizen science program. They are truly fascinating creatures that live in places that are accessible to humans. By engaging people, both adults and children, in the work of scientific inquiry researchers are not only able to widen the scope of their studies but also help build new scientific communities based on the democratization of information.
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