In late 2015, scientists found that the best borrowers are not, in fact, the characters of the 1997 movie, but microscopic animals called water bears. Water bears, more specifically named tardigrades, are found to have scavenged about 17.5% of their genes from other creatures. This ability to obtain used genes from other creatures’ discarded DNA is found to let tardigrades undergo extreme stress. And not just homework stress.
Tardigrades live in water, and have to be submerged to survive. Usually, when an aquatic animal is dried out, by being on land or otherwise, the membranes that hold DNA become leaky, they spill their DNA, and subsequently die. This is not the case for water bears. If they get resubmerged, they can stich their DNA back
Tardigrades live in water, and have to be submerged to survive. Usually, when an aquatic animal is dried out, by being on land or otherwise, the membranes that hold DNA become leaky, they spill their DNA, and subsequently die. This is not the case for water bears. If they get resubmerged, they can stich their DNA back