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 2 · The art of playing dead
alicecooks The Art of Playing Dead
Tuck in your legs and squeeze the water dry! (Squeeze it dry!) Now I'm a little tun and I will never die! (Never die!)
alicecooks Returning moisture prompts dormant tardigrades to absorb water, stretch their legs, and restart their metabolism after years of
alicecooks A tardigrade floats in a starry cosmic void, encased in glassy protein armor.
Fun Fact
Frozen in time: Scientists successfully revived a tardigrade that had been frozen solid in Antarctic moss for over thirty years.
Glossary
cryptobiosis (noun)
A state of suspended animation in which an organism's metabolic activity is temporarily reduced to an undetectable level. In 1776, Lazzaro Spallanzani first described water bears reviving from this completely dehydrated state.
A state of suspended animation in which an organism's metabolic activity is temporarily reduced to an undetectable level. In 1776, Lazzaro Spallanzani first described water bears reviving from this completely dehydrated state.
Quiz
To what percentage does a tardigrade's metabolic rate drop when in a fully dormant tun state?
Quiz
What is the biological term for the suspended animation state where a tardigrade's metabolism stops?
Quiz
What is the fluid-filled body cavity of a tardigrade called where nutrients slosh around?
Quiz
Roughly how long does it take for a dehydrated tardigrade tun to revive after touching water?
Quiz
What unique proteins do tardigrades use to turn their cell interiors into a protective glass-like gel?
Quiz
What is the name of the dehydrated, ball-like state a tardigrade enters to survive drought?
Quiz
By what percentage does a tardigrade reduce its body water content when entering a tun state?
Quiz
Which of these is NOT a trigger that would cause a tardigrade to enter cryptobiosis?