Jakarta –
Tardigrades, microscopic animals often nicknamed water bears, are known as one of the strongest animals on Earth. This organism is able to survive extreme temperatures, high radiation, drought, and even the vacuum conditions of outer space. However, recent research shows that there are certain conditions that are difficult for them to face.
In a study published in the journal International Journal of Astrobiology, scientists tried placing tardigrades in simulated Martian soil (regolith) in the laboratory to see whether the animals could survive.
The results show that certain conditions in the Martian soil could make tardigrades unable to survive.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Quoted from Gizmodo, the researchers created two types of Mars soil simulations based on data from NASA’s Curiosity rover which explored Gale Crater. The first sample is called MGS-1, which represents the general composition of Martian soil, while the second sample OUCM-1 was designed with a more specific mineral composition.
In this experiment, tardigrades were placed in both types of soil and their activity was observed for several days. As a result, soil type MGS-1 caused tardigrade activity to decrease drastically, with some even becoming inactive in just two days.
Interestingly, when the MGS-1 soil was rinsed with water first, the tardigrades that were introduced later were able to survive longer. This shows that there are certain substances in the simulated Martian soil that are detrimental to these organisms.
Hazardous Substances in Regolith
This research was led by Corien Bakermans, a microbiologist from Penn State University. He said his team was quite surprised by the results. According to him, the researchers suspect that there are certain compounds in the simulated Martian soil that can be removed by a simple washing process.
“We were a little surprised at how damaging MGS-1 was. We suspected there was something specific in the simulant that could be removed if washed,” explained Bakermans.
These findings suggest that Martian regolith may have natural conditions that can harm organisms from Earth, potentially protecting the planet from biological contamination.
This experiment is also related to the concept of planetary protection, namely efforts to prevent microorganisms from Earth from polluting other planets – or vice versa. Tardigrades were chosen because they are known to be highly resistant to various extreme conditions, making them ideal candidates for testing the limits of the organism’s survival.
However, the researchers emphasized that this research still used artificial Martian soil in the laboratory. This means that further research is still needed that takes into account other factors such as the actual temperature and atmospheric pressure of Mars.
Even though they are known to be almost ‘invincible’, this study shows that even creatures as strong as tardigrades still have limits in facing extreme environments, especially if they are on other planets such as Mars.
(rns/afr)
