Hardy water bears survive bullet impacts—up to a point

Hardy water bears survive bullet impacts—up to a point

3 years ago
Anonymous $LNMzUc6XNz

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/hardy-water-bears-survive-bullet-impacts-point

Above a speed limit, microscopic tardigrades shot from a gun turn to “mush.”

They can survive temperatures close to absolute zero. They can withstand heat beyond the boiling point of water. They can shrug off the vacuum of space and doses of radiation that would be lethal to humans. Now, researchers have subjected tardigrades, microscopic creatures affectionately known as water bears, to impacts as fast as a flying bullet. And the animals survive them, too—but only up to a point. The test places new limits on their ability to survive impacts in space—and potentially seed life on other planets.

Hardy water bears survive bullet impacts—up to a point

May 18, 2021, 7:33pm UTC
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/hardy-water-bears-survive-bullet-impacts-point > Above a speed limit, microscopic tardigrades shot from a gun turn to “mush.” > They can survive temperatures close to absolute zero. They can withstand heat beyond the boiling point of water. They can shrug off the vacuum of space and doses of radiation that would be lethal to humans. Now, researchers have subjected tardigrades, microscopic creatures affectionately known as water bears, to impacts as fast as a flying bullet. And the animals survive them, too—but only up to a point. The test places new limits on their ability to survive impacts in space—and potentially seed life on other planets.