Tardigrades

I did not know what they were until now. It would seem they are very indestructible critters and can take a licking but keep on ticking. I don't know how long they would last outside of Earths protective shields like the magnetosphere for it seems they were not sent out much further than Earths upper atmosphere or low Earth orbit. Cosmic rays aren't found there so until those critters are hit with them I couldn't say how long they would last.
 
At least one answer from the BBC is here: Tardigrades return from the dead.

I suspect we need to crowdfund an experiment. Perhaps we could seed Europa and a few other bodies on the way?

Or will we find them there already?
fishing.gif
 
from the linked:
In 2007, a group of European researchers pushed the resilience of this extraordinary animal even further, exposing a sample of dehydrated tardigrades to the vacuum and solar radiation of outer space for 10 full days. When the specimens were returned to earth and rehydrated, 68 percent of those that were shielded from the radiation survived, and even a handful of those with no radiation protection came back to life and produced viable offspring.
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"a handful"
a handful.................................a freaking handful
gee darn
(old zen saying)
If I was disappointed it was because I expected too much.
(sigh)
 
sculptor said:
a handful.................................a freaking handful -- If I was disappointed it was because I expected too much.
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What's wrong with a handful? Did you expect 100% survival in outer space??? If that were possible, every planet in the galaxy would be overrun with these little critters.
 
Pardon my ignorance Fragg old buddy, but I ain't got no idea just how much nor many a handful is, nor what percentage that represents.

Rough guestimate, maybe about 4,000,000 of the little buggers could fit in my cupped hand-so if you have bigger or smaller hands, then what?

Just imagine if we blasted a box-full of the little guys into space(how big is the box?) what percentage of the box-full would be a handful?
 
Sorry, I thought I was going to be clever, then re-read it...

I wish I could delete an aborted post in the first few seconds of its miserable existence, rather than apologize for nothing. Y'know?
 
planet jinx
rather odd actually
however
many have postulated extraterrestrial lifeforms seeding the universe with life
in that vein
'tain't quite so odd
;)
 
You could check on the moon, we landed there, so chances are we left some of the tardigrads.
 
How many grads were tardy for their matriculation? Did you ever wonder about that? :p
 
Dr_Toad said:
How many grads were tardy for their matriculation? Did you ever wonder about that? :p
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I wuz
I never bothered with the degrees------(I went for an education)-------then----------10 years later, my beloved spouse suggested that I get them--------a dean had to call the records back from the salt mine-------------(literally)-----------
 
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