Water Bears Turn Into Glass When They Dry Out
(Pictured: look at its wee little foot nubs!)
Imagine the possibilities! In this thread!Tardigrades - known affectionately as water bears or moss piglets - have pretty much got it all. These microscopic invertebrates are capable of surviving the most extreme conditions you could dream up, including prolonged desiccation and near-100 percent water loss, freezing and boiling temperatures, intense ionising radiation, and the vacuum of outer space.
Scientists have discovered that to survive extreme desiccation, tardigardes produce a special type of 'bioglass' to hold essential proteins and molecules together until they’re rehydrated back to life. Now they’re figuring out how to use this mechanism to develop drought-resistant crops and longer-lasting vaccines.
Have fun.
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Thread: The Wonderful Waterbear....
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07-28-2019, 06:49 AM #1
The Wonderful Waterbear....
Sassy is the cat in the moment of destiny...
For the cat is cryptic,
and close to strange things which men cannot see.
He is the soul of antique Aegyptus,
and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroë and Ophir.
He is the kin of the jungle’s lords,
and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa.
The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language;
but he is more ancient than the Sphinx,
and remembers that which she hath forgotten...
Population: 1 liked this post
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07-28-2019, 12:56 PM #2
These are the kind of creatures that advertise that life is most likely prolific in the universe. Sure, they’re not building craft capable of interstellar travel, but most life forms we’ll discover out there are probably what we’d term as simple. Life is life in a broader sense and I think it’s flourishing out there. These little guys are amazing and have a lot they can teach us.
”The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses.”
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07-28-2019, 01:45 PM #3
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
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This concerns me since it's not out of scope that once they figure out how to create drought and freeze resistant crops, horizontal gene transfer can create extreme bacteria that can't be boiled out or deep frozen to death. Bacteria gene swap like crazy.
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07-29-2019, 02:31 PM #4
Couldn't they in theory by that time do the same thing with us and stay paced in the marathon?
Sassy is the cat in the moment of destiny...
For the cat is cryptic,
and close to strange things which men cannot see.
He is the soul of antique Aegyptus,
and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroë and Ophir.
He is the kin of the jungle’s lords,
and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa.
The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language;
but he is more ancient than the Sphinx,
and remembers that which she hath forgotten...
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07-29-2019, 06:31 PM #5
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07-29-2019, 06:40 PM #6
Life may be a roller coaster; just a bunch of twists and turns, loops and free falls, hurtling around at break neck speeds, but ultimately going nowhere. It freaks me out. But then I remember. I like roller coasters. Also; this exists:
Maybe roller coasters aren't just roller coasters but metaphors.
And that takes the edge off.Sassy is the cat in the moment of destiny...
For the cat is cryptic,
and close to strange things which men cannot see.
He is the soul of antique Aegyptus,
and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroë and Ophir.
He is the kin of the jungle’s lords,
and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa.
The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language;
but he is more ancient than the Sphinx,
and remembers that which she hath forgotten...
Luminous liked this post
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07-29-2019, 07:00 PM #7
- Join Date
- Dec 2016
- Posts
- 9,624
Why didn't you post this in my Weird Science thread?
The Cat liked this post
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07-29-2019, 07:05 PM #8Sassy is the cat in the moment of destiny...
For the cat is cryptic,
and close to strange things which men cannot see.
He is the soul of antique Aegyptus,
and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroë and Ophir.
He is the kin of the jungle’s lords,
and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa.
The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language;
but he is more ancient than the Sphinx,
and remembers that which she hath forgotten...
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07-29-2019, 07:21 PM #9
- Join Date
- Dec 2016
- Posts
- 9,624
The Cat liked this post
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07-29-2019, 07:32 PM #10Sassy is the cat in the moment of destiny...
For the cat is cryptic,
and close to strange things which men cannot see.
He is the soul of antique Aegyptus,
and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroë and Ophir.
He is the kin of the jungle’s lords,
and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa.
The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language;
but he is more ancient than the Sphinx,
and remembers that which she hath forgotten...
Peter Deadpan liked this post