• DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2008.06.048
• Corpus ID: 8566993

Tardigrades survive exposure to space in low Earth orbit

@article{Jnsson2008TardigradesSE,
  title={Tardigrades survive exposure to space in low Earth orbit},
  author={K. Ingemar J{\"o}nsson and Elke Rabbow and Ralph O. Schill and Mats Harms-Ringdahl and Petra Rettberg},
  journal={Current Biology},
  year={2008},
  volume={18},
  pages={R729-R731}
}

• K. I. Jönsson, E. Rabbow, +2 authors P. Rettberg
• Published 9 September 2008
• Biology, Medicine
• Current Biology

Summary Vacuum (imposing extreme dehydration) and solar/galactic cosmic radiation prevent survival of most organisms in space [1]. Only anhydrobiotic organisms, which have evolved adaptations to survive more or less complete desiccation, have a potential to survive space vacuum, and few organisms can stand the unfiltered solar radiation in space. Tardigrades, commonly known as water-bears, are among the most desiccation and radiation-tolerant animals and have been shown to survive extreme levels of ionizing radiation [2–4]. Here, we show that tardigrades are also able to survive space vacuum without loss in survival, and that some specimens even recovered after combined exposure to space vacuum and solar radiation. These results add the first animal to the exclusive and short list of organisms that have survived such exposure.