Kumamushi turns out to survive when fired as a bullet at 825 meters per second



Under certain conditions 'it is known to withstand even the ultra-high pressure and cryogenic

tardigrades but is', if the speed of up to per second 825m by the new study, it was found that withstand the impact.

Tardigrade Survival Limits in High-Speed Impacts—Implications for Panspermia and Collection of Samples from Plumes Emitted by Ice Worlds | Astrobiology
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2020.2405

Kumamushi, which is 50 micrometers to 1.7 millimeters in length and has 4 to 8 legs, is a creature that can be easily found in freshwater environments around the world, including Japan. Some types of tardigrades take time to shrink and stop their vital activities when the surroundings become dry, resulting in a ' cryptobiosis ' state. Kumamushi in cryptobiosis can withstand extreme pressures, cryogenic temperatures, and high doses of radiation.


by

Philippe Garcelon

Researchers at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom, Alejandr Traspas and Mark Burchel, have conducted a survey to answer the question of whether tardigrades can withstand the impact of a collision with rocks in outer space. It was. Traspas and colleagues prepared a tardigrade 'Hypsbius dujardini ' that can take a cryptobiosis state, and two or three of them were packed in the shaft of a two-stage light gas gun with a small amount of water, and the tardigrade was placed in the shaft for 48 hours. Caused a cryptobiosis condition. After that, the shaft was attached to a light gas gun, and it was ejected into the sand 49.9 cm away in the vacuum chamber.

When a total of 6 shots were made at different speeds, the tardigrades were able to resume their activities unharmed at speeds of 556 meters per second to 825 meters per second, whereas at 901 meters per second and 1000 meters per second, tardigrades It has fallen apart. In addition, when calculating the peak pressure of each impact, it was 1.01 GPa at 825 meters per second, 1.14 GPa at 901 meters per second, 1.31 GPa at 1000 meters per second, and Truspass et al. When the impact of is applied, the survival probability of the bear beetle becomes 0%. '

Previous studies have shown that Kumamushi can withstand static loads from 600MPa to 7.5GPa, but this study provides new insights into impact loads. According to existing research , the maximum impact pressure when a meteorite collides with the lunar surface exceeds 2 GPa, and other stars are also impacted by 1 GPa or more. We know that there are many of them. 'It is suggested that tardigrades may not be able to withstand the impacts that occur in outer space.



It was also found that the tardigrades that were impacted by the injection had a longer transition time to the active state than the tardigrades that were not impacted, and Mr. Truspas said, 'It is necessary to repair some internal damage. I'm guessing. 'Similar to this study, it is also a useful area of research to eject tardigrade eggs and evaluate whether they can develop after ejection,' said Truspas and colleagues.

in Science,   Creature, Posted by log1p_kr