This week on A l’UM la science, Simon Galas and Myriam Richaud, both researchers at the Max Mousseron Biomolecules Institute in the Nematodes and Tardigrades Laboratory, assisted by Morgan Pellerano, an engineer at the IBMM, open the doors to one of only two tardigrade breeding facilities in France. A long-form report on an extraordinary creature. The program is broadcast every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Divergence-FM 93.9.
And during this Easter season, we invite you to revisit the miracle of resurrection, but from a scientific perspective. For many years, one organism has attracted the attention of the scientific community because its abilities seem supernatural. Dip it in liquid nitrogen? No problem! Boil it, no problem! UV-C rays and cosmic radiation, which are fatal to ordinary mortals, barely affect it and even give it a neon glow. As for pressure, it can easily withstand the pressure found more than 180 km below the earth's surface. Impressive!
But it goes even further than that. Because if our mystery guest needs water to function, in the absence of water, he can enter a state of suspended animation to the point where his body resembles nothing more than an old potato chip, waiting for a drop of water to revive him.
So what is this amazing organism that has so many superpowers that it is described as extremophile? It's not an April Fool's joke, but a tardigrade. A metazoan that is less than a millimeter in size and has been resistant to everything for over 500 million years. They are all around us, as long as there is a little water and greenery, and they wander around looking like adorable miniature teddy bears. And we are lucky that Montpellier is home to one of only two tardigrade breeding facilities in France. It's at the Max Mousseron Biomolecules Institute on the CNRS campus, and that's where we're taking you for a long-form report with Simon Galas and Myriam Richaud, both researchers in the Nematodes and Tardigrades lab, assisted by Morgan Pellerano, engineer... and breeder.
Adult tardigrade Ramazzottius varierornatus seen under a scanning electron microscope. Tardigrades are animals measuring approximately 1 mm in length, with eight legs and, in some species, a pair of ocelli (light-sensitive organs). Present on Earth for nearly 500 million years and living in all environments, tardigrades have the highest resistance capabilities on the planet. They can survive dehydration, extreme pressures and temperatures, and radiation. The GigaTardi project is exploring the interior of tardigrades using several techniques to reveal their stress resistance strategies. UMR5247 Max Mousseron Biomolecules InstituteAdult tardigrade “Hypsibius exemplaris” seen from the ventral side, under confocal laser scanning microscopy after treatment with a product that colors its mitochondria (intracellular organelles responsible for respiration) red. Red spheres with patterns inside can be seen. These storage cells move throughout the animal to deliver nutrients to other cells (muscle, neurons, digestive tract, etc.). Tardigrades are animals measuring about 1 mm in length, with eight legs and, in some species such as this one, a pair of ocelli (light-sensitive organs). Hypsibius exemplaris is transparent, which allows its internal structures to be visualized using dyes. Present on Earth for nearly 500 million years and living in all environments, tardigrades have the highest resistance capabilities on the planet. In particular, they can survive extreme pressures (up to 7.5 GPa) without damage to their internal structures. The GigaTardi project explores the interior of tardigrades using several techniques to reveal their stress resistance strategies. UMR5247 Max Mousseron Biomolecules InstituteTardigrade "Hypsibius exemplaris" seen from the ventral side, under confocal laser scanning microscopy after treatment with agents that stain muscles green and DNA blue. Tardigrades are animals measuring approximately 1 mm in length, with eight legs and, in some species such as this one, a pair of ocelli (light-sensitive organs). Hypsibius exemplaris is transparent, which allows its internal structures to be visualized using dyes. Tardigrades have muscles, neurons, an intestine, and also a microbiome. Present on Earth for nearly 500 million years and living in all environments, tardigrades have the highest resistance capabilities on the planet. In particular, they can survive extreme pressures (up to 7.5 GPa) without damage to their internal structures. The GigaTardi project is exploring the interior of tardigrades using several techniques to reveal their stress resistance strategies. UMR5247 Max Mousseron Biomolecules InstituteTardigrade “Hypsibius exemplaris” viewed under a confocal laser scanning microscope (side view). Tardigrades are animals measuring approximately 1 mm in length, with eight legs and, in some species such as this one, a pair of ocelli (light-sensitive organs). This species performs two operations at the same time: laying eggs and molting (shedding its skin). In this image, obtained with a special filter, six embryos can be seen that have been laid and abandoned in the molt (old skin) by the adult. Present on Earth for nearly 500 million years and living in all environments, tardigrades have the highest resistance capabilities on the planet. They survive dehydration, extreme pressures and temperatures, and radiation. The GigaTardi project explores the interior of tardigrades using several techniques to reveal their stress resistance strategies. UMR5247 Max Mousseron Biomolecules InstituteMolt of the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris harboring embryos, viewed using confocal laser scanning microscopy (side view). Tardigrades are animals measuring approximately 1 mm in length, with eight legs and, in some species such as this one, a pair of ocelli (light-sensitive organs). This species performs two operations at the same time: laying eggs and molting (shedding its skin). In the image, six embryos have been laid and abandoned in the molt (old skin) by the adult. The tips of the adult's legs can also be seen, topped with claws characteristic of the species. Present on Earth for nearly 500 million years and living in all environments, tardigrades have the highest resistance capabilities on the planet. They can survive dehydration, extreme pressures and temperatures, and radiation. The GigaTardi project is exploring the interior of tardigrades using several techniques to reveal their stress resistance strategies. UMR5247 Max Mousseron Biomolecules InstituteTardigrade "Hypsibius exemplaris," ventral view, and its embryos seen under a confocal laser microscope. Tardigrades are animals measuring approximately 1 mm in length, with eight legs and, in some species such as this one, a pair of ocelli (light-sensitive organs). This species performs two operations at the same time: laying eggs and molting (shedding its skin). In the image, four embryos that have already been laid are still living in the same skin as the adult. In a few minutes, the adult will emerge from the molt and leave them behind. The adult's ocelli and a few claws at the end of its legs are also visible. Present on Earth for nearly 500 million years and living in all environments, tardigrades have the highest resistance capabilities on the planet. They can survive dehydration, extreme pressures and temperatures, and radiation. The GigaTardi project is exploring the interior of tardigrades using several techniques to reveal their stress resistance strategies. UMR5247 Max Mousseron Biomolecules Institute
