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Scientists want to fire 'indestructible' Tardigrades to distant stars - Daily Mail

Scientists want to fire 'indestructible' Tardigrades to distant stars - Daily Mail

Scientists want to fire 'indestructible' Tardigrades to distant stars - Daily Mail
Jan 11, 2022 1 min, 34 secs

The US experts want to know how interstellar space travel affects the microscopic animals, known for an ability to survive extreme conditions including in outer space.

In a new paper, they've proposed building small space probes containing tardigrades, also known as 'water bears', that would travel at up to 30 per cent the speed of light into space. .

Illustration shows a light sail and payload propelled into interstellar space by directed energy laser propulsion.

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are said to be the most indestructible animals in the world.

The small creatures come in many forms - there are more than 900 species of them - and they're found globally, from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans.

Tardigrades have been around for 530 million years and outlived the dinosaurs. The animals can also live for a decade without water and even survive in space.

The small spacecraft containing the tardigrades 'would probably be the size of your hand', according to Professor Lubin.

These craft would be precisely monitored for any detectable effects of interstellar travel on the creatures' biology, with the observations relayed to Earth by light waves.  

Tardigrades were first discovered by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who gave them their affectionate 'water bears' nickname because of their podgy and slightly adorable appearance

The creatures have proven to be virtually impossible to kill – even when frozen, boiled, crushed or zapped with radiation. 

Concept: A different research project is developing a laser-powered sail (shown in an artist's impression) which could allow us to travel 24 trillion miles to Alpha Centauri within 20 years

Researchers claim it could one day allow us to travel 24 trillion miles and reach our closest stellar neighbour within 20 years

The creatures had a similar stepping pattern to insects that are 500,000 times larger and have hard bodies, they found. 

Read more: Scientists shoot water bears from gun to see if they can survive space

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