Tardigrade Research Papers - Life in Very Weird Places

Tardigrade Research Papers - Life in Very Weird PlacesMost of the research papers that are published on Tardigrades are published in North America. They have been particularly popular because of their unusual and unique physical characteristics. The first things that the researcher notices when they encounter them is that they look like an eggshell or a grain of sand.The first research papers were published in North America and the countries of Europe in the 1970s. These were directed towards providing evidence to support theories about the evolution of life. The second papers were published by scientists in Japan and South Korea.Tardigrades have been investigated in laboratories and were found to be the same as other organisms. Researchers hypothesized that the presence of water might explain the tardigrade's inability to freeze. Water is needed to regulate temperature. The water body is very humid, so it takes more energy to move to the higher temperatures of the earth's surface.Ta rdigrades were also shown to be capable of surviving many different kinds of extremes. This was thought to be due to the unique chemical composition of their body which contains organic molecules. The body possesses a molecule called acetate which can withstand a wide range of temperatures.The second research paper focused on the synthesis of the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase, which is essential for aerobic photosynthesis in Tardigrades. A second enzyme could also be made, but its existence is not necessary for photosynthesis. Some evidence had been found that suggests that photosynthesis occurs in other types of organisms.Recently the third research paper has been published. It provided some insight into the amino acid sequence that was discovered in the tardigrade genome. The third paper says that it could provide further evidence about the evolutionary relationships between organisms and plants.The last research paper was published in April, 2020. It confirmed that tardigrades di d in fact survive being frozen for a few months. These findings confirmed that tardigrades can survive under various kinds of conditions including those that are warm or cold.The third research paper does show that the Tardigrade can survive being frozen. It also shows that even plants that do not produce acetate can use the energy from Tardigrades to make their own acetate.