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| See "into glass" link. |
Topics: Biology, Planetary Science, SETI, Space, Space Exploration
Tardigrades are fascinating creatures. Not only are new species being found in Antarctica and Maine, they're near indestructible. The latest is when it really gets rough, they can turn themselves into glass. I think we'll find them on Mars and other planets in our own solar system. I think anything this adaptable and tough can live places WE can't! Most species have about 1% "foreign DNA," usually from ingestion of food stuffs and evolution: tardigrades have 17%.
I applaud the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and life on other worlds. I think with a simple microscope, we might have missed the obvious ones in front of us.
Related links:
IFL Science: Tardigrades
Extreme Tech: Tardigrades, already impossible to kill, also have foreign DNA,
Jessica Hall
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