Tardigrades: The Microscopic Animals with Survival Superpowers

Tardigrades, often called water bears, are microscopic, eight-legged animals famous for their almost superpower-like ability to survive extreme conditions. They can endure complete desiccation, freezing temperatures, and even massive doses of radiation. Most commonly found in mosses and lichens, tardigrades actually inhabit a wide range of environments, across both terrestrial and marine habitats. In this talk, Witold Morek will explore how these remarkable survival abilities evolved and reveal the genetic secrets behind them.

Witold Morek is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, investigating the genomics of tardigrades. Currently his work concentrates on identifying the genetic basis of tardigrades' extraordinary resistance to environmental stress, such as dehydration and freezing. He is also interested in the diversity of tardigrades (systematics and taxonomy), including new species descriptions, but also how this biodiversity is distributed on our planet (biogeography) and relationships between different tardigrade lineages (phylogeny).

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entoLIVE is delivered by the Biological Recording Company, British Entomological & Natural History Society, Royal Entomological Society and Amateur Entomologists' Society, with support from Buglife, Field Studies Council and NBN Trust.