Are water bears harmful to humans?

Many people don't know much about tardigrades. It is a general term for organisms in the phylum Tardigrade. Water bears are very small animals. They mainly live in fresh water and in some moist soil. Generally speaking, this type of water bear does not exceed one millimeter. In fact, they look quite cute. Moreover, this type of water bear has very tenacious vitality and generally does not cause harm to the human body.

Water Bear is the common name for the organisms of the phylum Tardigrades. Tardigrades are small animals that live mainly in freshwater sediments, moist soil, and water films of mosses; a few species live in the intertidal zones of seawater. Tardigrades are multicellular animals. They are very small, most do not exceed 1 mm, and the smallest Echiniscus parvulus is only 50 microns when it is first born. The largest, Macrobiotus bufelandi, is only 1.4 mm. Transparent, colorless, yellow, brown, dark red or green. Their color is mainly given by their food. They eat foods containing carotenoids, which can be deposited in various organs.

Water bears revived after being frozen for 30 years

Japanese researchers have successfully revived the tardigrade "water bear" that had been frozen for more than 30 years for the first time, which will improve people's understanding of the long-term survival mechanisms and conditions of cryptobiotic organisms. The newborns that hatched were normal, with no defects or abnormalities.

Scientists have discovered that tardigrades have about 6,000 genes that come from other species, accounting for about one-sixth of their total genes. They speculate that the tardigrades' magical abilities may be related to foreign genes. Their ability to shed water and regenerate itself by absorbing water allows them to absorb a variety of molecules from their environment, including DNA, and they are very good at repairing DNA and patching up damage caused by dehydration.