Animal physiology: How do tardigrades survive intense radiation?

Bob Goldstein

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.057

Animal physiology: How do tardigrades survive intense radiation?

Curr Biol. 2025 Mar 24;35(6):R216-R218. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.057.

Author

Bob Goldstein¹

Affiliation

¹ Biology Department and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: bobg@unc.edu.

PMID: 40132552
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.057

Abstract

Tardigrades survive levels of radiation that would kill most animal life. A new paper unveils more of their tricks, including a pigment that can protect cells from radiation damage and a protein that can concentrate DNA repair machinery at sites of DNA damage.

MeSH terms

Animals
DNA Damage
DNA Repair
Tardigrada* / physiology
Tardigrada* / radiation effects