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University

Shawnee State University

Major

Biomedical Sciences - Pre-Med Track

Student Type

Undergraduate Student

Presentation Types

Oral Presentation

Keywords:

Tardigrades, Space, Cryptobiosis, Environment

Abstract

Metabolism suspension, otherwise known as cryptobiosis, is used by certain species that have adapted to survive in extreme environments. Despite the rare benefit of this process, little is understood about its advantages in Tardigrades; resilient microorganisms also known as water bears. To better understand the ways in which Tardigrades respond to their environment we’ve devised several approaches to prepare for the results of our final experiment in conjunction with the High Altitude Research Project (HARP). We will test the local Tardigrade populations susceptibility to freezing, drying, and the condition of a vacuum in order to predict their response to the exposure of near space-like conditions.

Human Subjects

no

Faculty Mentor Name

Timothy Hamilton

Faculty Mentor Title

Professor of Physics

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The Survival of Tardigrades in Space-like Conditions

Metabolism suspension, otherwise known as cryptobiosis, is used by certain species that have adapted to survive in extreme environments. Despite the rare benefit of this process, little is understood about its advantages in Tardigrades; resilient microorganisms also known as water bears. To better understand the ways in which Tardigrades respond to their environment we’ve devised several approaches to prepare for the results of our final experiment in conjunction with the High Altitude Research Project (HARP). We will test the local Tardigrade populations susceptibility to freezing, drying, and the condition of a vacuum in order to predict their response to the exposure of near space-like conditions.