Monday, November 11, 2019

Tardigrades Protecting their DNA

It is well known how tardigrades are invincible, adorable creatures that can live anywhere in the world. When I first heard of them I was baffled. I had no idea that anything like this existed, and an entire class of organisms whom are resistant to extreme environments exists, which is even more amazing. How they are capable of this, was always an unanswered question, and learning one little aspect of tardigrades protecting their DNA from radiation is revolutionary. The research shows a protein named Dsup is responsible for encapsulating the DNA when the tardigrade is vulnerable. Further research involved incorporating the protein to human cells, and astoundingly it also protected the human cells from radiation after being exposed. With more experiments and research, we could find a way to truly protect humans from radiation, which would aid in medical research for obtaining a safer cure for cancer if we still use radiation by then.

Image result for tardigrade protecting dna

original link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/tardigrades-dna-damage-radiation-death
related link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/tardigrade-protein-protects-dna-from-chemical-attack/

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