Water bears might hold clue to future anti-aging meds

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These microscopic creatures have cute nicknames. Water bear. Or Moss piglet. Scientists call them tardigrades [taar·duh·graydz]. They have the rare ability to suspend their metabolism.

That makes them remarkably resilient. They are seemingly impossible to destroy. If humans were as indestructible, we could shoot you into orbit without a spacesuit at breakfast and you’d be well enough to dine on Earth for lunch.

In fact, tardigrades have survived experiments in which they were exposed to space.

These tiny moss piglets can survive in the most severe environments on the planet, in or out of water. They can weather extreme heat and cold, radiation hundreds of times higher than a lethal human dose and a lack of air. They can be starved and dehydrated. Still, they go on.

That got scientists thinking: Is there something in the tardigrade’s body chemistry that might prove useful to human health?

A recent University of Wyoming study suggests tardigrade proteins might allow medication to be stored without refrigeration. They could also open the door to anti-aging medication in the future.

The creatures survive harsh environments because body proteins produce a gel in cells that protect them when threatened. This puts them into suspended animation.

The researchers exposed human cells to these proteins and watched in astonishment as they slowed their metabolism, too.

When the stress disappears, the gels vanish as well, meaning the process is reversible.

More research is needed before scientists know if the ability to protect human cells is science fiction or science fact.

So for now, that family vacation to Mars will have to wait.