Mysteries in Biology : Tardigrade Are Aliens?

Do you remember the scene in Ant Man and Wasp where Ant Man shrinks his body into the Quantum Realm and is nearly eaten by strange microscopic creatures? The creature is called the Tardigrade or also known as the water bear. Tardigrade is a strange creature, I will explain why.

Do you know the classification system for living things that is taught in the School? Well, the Animal Kingdom is divided into many phyla. For example, all insects, spiders, shrimp, crabs, scorpions and centipedes belong to the Phylum Arthropoda because they are segments. Snails, squids and octopuses belong to the Phylum Mollusca because of their delicate nature. Humans, fish, bears, lizards, and birds belong to the Phylum Chordata because of their vertebrae. In essence, each animal phylum has many members that have almost the same characteristics.

Well, here's the problem. The water bear is categorized into the Phylum Tardigrade of which he is the only member. No other animal in the world has the same characteristics as the Tardigrade, so scientists have questioned its origin.

The little water bear is a very small animal and lives in water. Can be found anywhere, even in puddles. Because they are herbivores, water bears prefer to hang out in damp moss. Although it does not rule out, if you meet a smaller creature, Tardigrade can eat it. Tardigrades can also reproduce sexually and asexually, generally by laying eggs.

Well, after reading the description above, maybe you haven't seen the oddity yet, but be prepared! Tardigrade oddities begin at hatching, appear immediately as adults (not through the childhood phase or the first metamorphosis stage). For the size of tiny microscopic objects, Tardigrade also has a complete digestive system like animals with a more advanced evolutionary level. In fact, microscopic animals usually have a simple digestive system.

But the water bear's biggest oddity lies in its staying power. At first glance, Tardigrade can't die. It can survive in extreme conditions, such as without eating at all, exposed to deadly nuclear radiation, and even being in outer space. Yep, even though it is placed in a vacuum environment (without air), Tardigrade will still survive. Tardigrade's body will turn to dry paper when faced with these extreme conditions. This property is called cryptobiosis. Placed in boiling water, frozen, put under X-rays, and subjected to air pressure 6 times the air pressure on Earth, Tardigrade remains safe. Whereas any creature, if it is in such an extreme condition, will definitely perish.

Because of its uniqueness, which is that it can live in space even when it is asleep, there has been wild speculation that Tardigrade did not actually come from Earth. As I mentioned earlier, not a single Earth creature has the same characteristics and traits as the Tardigrade. Not surprisingly, some think that Tardigrade is an alien from another planet who came to Earth after hitching a ride on a comet or meteor, then accidentally fell to Earth.

The theory that life on Earth may have originated (or spread) from life on other planets is called Panspermia. Is it true that speculation? Well, maybe only this little water bear can answer that.