Chapter 1
Meet the moss piglets
Chapter 2
The art of playing dead
Chapter 3
Shielded from the extreme
Chapter 4
Cosmic travelers and beyond
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life of moss piglets
Ch 4 · Cosmic travelers and beyond
alicecooks Cosmic Travelers
Out in the vacuum of the cosmic freeze, These tiny tardigrades survived with ease!
alicecooks Introducing tardigrade CAHS proteins slows cellular processes to preserve vaccines, blood clotting factors, and organs without needing expensive
alicecooks A robotic lander crashes onto the glowing lunar surface, releasing tiny dormant tardigrades
Fun Fact
Moon survivors: The tardigrades that crashed on the Moon in 2019 could theoretically remain alive in their dry state for decades.
Glossary
cryptobiosis (noun)
A state of suspended animation in which an organism's metabolic processes virtually stop to survive extreme conditions. During a 2007 satellite mission, tardigrades used this state to survive ten days in open space.
A state of suspended animation in which an organism's metabolic processes virtually stop to survive extreme conditions. During a 2007 satellite mission, tardigrades used this state to survive ten days in open space.
Quiz
In what year did tardigrades become the first animals to survive exposure to open space?
Quiz
Which country's robotic lunar lander crashed on the Moon in 2019, spilling tardigrades?
Quiz
Approximately how long have tardigrades existed on Earth according to fossil records?
Quiz
In 2024, researchers used tardigrade proteins to slow down molecular processes in what type of cells?
Quiz
Which space agency sponsored the FOTON-M3 mission that tested tardigrades in space?