Water bears are huge DNA thieves: study

[Judi Lynn]

Water bears are huge DNA thieves: study
AFP
By Jean-Louis Santini
1 hour ago


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 Sinclair Stammers /University of North Carolina/AFP

A light micrograph of a tardigrade, or water bear, the only animal known to survive the extreme environment of outer space is shown in this Sinclair Stammers/University of North Carolina image (AFP Photo/Sinclair Stammers)
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Washington (AFP) - The minuscule but nearly indestructible tardigrade gets a huge chunk of its genome from the DNA of foreign organisms, which scientists say may hold the key to its survival.

Also known as water bears, or moss piglets due to their morphology, these micro animals live all across the world.

They are usually 0.020 inches (0.5 millimeters) long and move very slowly and clumsily on their eight legs.

These highly adaptable creatures can survive extreme temperatures.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/water-bears-huge-dna-thieves-study-033848936.html

[longship]

1. Tardigrades!

Awesome animalcules.

[Surya Gayatri]

2. Let's face it. The humble, but formidable tardigrade will outlive

all other life forms on earth.

Even when our profligate exploitation of the planet has decimated all other living organisms, the noble tardigrade will still be here, an eternal witness to our folly.

ALL HAIL OUR TARDIGRADE OVERLORDS!

SMALL BUT MIGHTY!

[appal_jack]

3. An eight-legged kick (& rec) for tardigrades!

The most important conclusion of the article:

They thus repair their own damaged DNA while also absorbing foreign DNA as the cell rehydrates, forming a patchworks of genes from different species.

"So instead of thinking of the tree of life, we can think about the web of life and genetic material crossing from branch to branch," Boothby explained.

-app

[eppur_se_muova]

4. That's the best light photo of a tardigrade I've ever seen !

Usually, they only show SEM images.

[NickB79]

5. So much for genetic engineering being "unnatural"

Goldstein, first author Thomas Boothby and colleagues found that water bears obtain about 6,000 foreign genes mostly from bacteria, as well as plants, fungi and Archaea single-cell organisms.

Our GM science pales in comparison.