Astrobiology

Where is the overlap between tardigrades and space?

Understanding tardigrade’s ability to survive complete desiccation can lend important insight to questions we have about space travel and life on other planets. One way our research is implicated in space travel is the ability to protect things when they are in a dried state. Examples of this range from foods to important biologicals and medications. Another way that that an understanding of desiccation tolerance may be insightful is in cultivating an understanding of how organisms may live and survive in space and on other planets. The photo on the right shows the Atacama desert, one of the driest environments on earth making it a great comparison to the environment of Mars. Understanding how a tardigrade would survive desiccation in the Atacama desert could show how they might survive on Mars.