Posted on 03/17/2017 1:50:15 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Tardigrades are microscopic animals that survive a remarkable array of stresses, including desiccation [extreme drying].
How tardigrades survive desiccation has remained a mystery for more than 250 years.
Trehalose, a disaccharide essential for several organisms to survive drying, is detected at low levels or not at all in some tardigrade species, indicating that tardigrades possess potentially novel mechanisms for surviving desiccation.
Here we show that tardigrade-specific intrinsically disordered proteins (TDPs) are essential for desiccation tolerance. TDP genes are constitutively expressed at high levels or induced during desiccation in multiple tardigrade species. TDPs are required for tardigrade desiccation tolerance, and these genes are sufficient to increase desiccation tolerance when expressed in heterologous systems.
TDPs form non-crystalline amorphous solids (vitrify) upon desiccation, and this vitrified state mirrors their protective capabilities.
Our study identifies TDPs as functional mediators of tardigrade desiccation tolerance, expanding our knowledge of the roles and diversity of disordered proteins involved in stress tolerance.
My Primary Spirit Animal is the Giant Three-Toed Slo0th -
I have a Second Alternate Spirit Animal as well.
It's the Ring-Tailed Lemur...
I always thought the Tardigrade was that average that made
us regular students look like we were actually learning stuff.
Like as compared to those tard kids what got graded.
I’ma keep believing that.
Nah.
It’s what you get on your test paper when you turn it in late.
I don’t feel tardy.
And that happens a lot when you Spirit Animal is a Sloth.
See the connection?
Whut?
Chicken. Paper sacks yeah.
Whoopie Goldberg too ????????
AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
I was just thinking the other day how it’s amazing that God made animals so beautiful that we could appreciate them all.
Oops.
Plus what’s Michelle obama doing in a tree?
It looks like somebody shrank her in the laundry.
Whatever my spirit animal may be, I’m sure it has rabies.
Maybe we could cross a tardigrade and
a chicken. Mmmmmmmm.
Still kinda kreepy seeing a six legged critter.
Giorgio Tsoukalos wonders.
IMO, Tardigrades are “immortal” simply because nothing can destroy that much cuteness.
/yeah, I’m warped
:)
Creepy with a k? Some six legged more like high-struttin' 'till finding reason for being
Approved by the creator
Distributed as special acknowledgment and reward in elite ceremonies;
Breeding origin of six legged turkey; +
Great idea. Toss in an electron microscope that wirelessly transmits to a smart tv on the wall and you could market it to wealthy urbanites who want a pet but not the mess.
Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
Remember the packets of SeaMonkeys you could buy? Brine shrimp, I think they were.
You mean that wasn’t powdered soup mix?
“But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong.”
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