Tardigrades at public focus!

Although I knew that many people find tardigrades very interesting I must admit that I did not expect such an interest in the TARDIS project! Information about the TARDIS project has been broadcasted all over the world. And almost every day I get e-mails from journalists and other people interested in knowing more about the project and about tardigrades in general. So it seems that the TARDIS project has really brought this animal group into a public focus. I hope this will also lead to an increased interest in tardigrades from professional biologists. Today, there are probably less than 100 tardigrade researchers in the world.

An important step towards a greater recognition of tardigrades as potential biological model organisms was recently taken by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI, USA), when they decided that the whole genome of a tardigrade (Hypsibius dujardini) should be sequenced within the next few years. Needless to say, this will open up a wide range of possibilities to go deeper into the genetics and physiology of tardigrades, including investigations that may eventually solve the mystery of the extreme tolerances of these animals.

So there is much to look forward to if you are interested in these animals!!

The analyses of the TARDIS samples are still in progress. Please have patience!