[BIOCHEMISTRY | Week #14] Living Diversity

Tardigrades!

A stormtroop riding the back of a tardigrade. 😂

Why am I just learning about these adorable creatures? Some scientists refer to these creatures as moss piglets or water bears! 😍 Sounds like an up and coming Pokemon character. Haha! I am curious to see what direction researchers will take upon their continuous study of the tardigrades and their ability to not only survive harsh environments, but also "hibernate" for years before coming to life again. I was reminded of our discussion on biomimicry in biology earlier in the trimester and was almost positive that companies have attempted to mimic the tardigrades fascinating ability to survive dehydration.

Here's what I found on the Biomimicry Institute's website:

"The water bear, a tiny tardigrade, has inspired a couple of products that greatly reduce the need for refrigeration. Conservation Magazine recently published a story about one of these companies, Biomatrica. Biomatrica has developed ways to store biological samples like tissues, DNA, and cells, using lessons learned from organisms like the water bear and brine shrimp – both of which can survive dehydration. Not only does this technology save labs money, it also protects scientists’ valuable research from being lost due to power outages.

Another company that mimicked the water bear’s and other extremophiles’ survival strategies is Stabiltech. This company focuses on stabilizing vaccines and pharmaceuticals, solving the problem of needing to maintain the “cold chain.” That is, rather than keeping these materials refrigerated from manufacture to delivery, they are stored dry. Vaccines can be delivered into parts of countries with no electricity and remain viable."