1. TARDIGRADE CRYPTOBIOTIC STRATEGIES VS. MICROGRAVITY Balaji, Conti, Patel, Souza, Washington

2. Acknowledgments: Local Partners, Advisors, and Funders The Ahmanson Foundation Dr. James M. Lally William Saito ( Cabinet Office (Government of Japan), Ministry of Education - Central Council for Education) Dr. Tas Dienes ( Chief Technology Officer at SmartAction) Martina Ramirez ( Loyola Marymount University) Ms. Trojanowski Ms. Curry Dr. Michael Williams Professor Jonathan Wright (Pomona College) CASIS Subaru of America, Inc.

3. Research Team Co-Principal Investigators Ashwin Balaji (Grade 12) Garrett Souza (Grade 12) David Washington (Grade 12) Investigator Richard Conti (Grade 12) Collaborator Aaditya Patel (Grade 12) Teacher Facilitator Ms. Trojanowski, Damien High School Teacher

4. Evolution of Tardigrades ●The ability to undergo cryptobiosis suggests that tardigrades evolved in an unstable and rigorous environment ●Tardigrades cryptobiotic abilities and tolerance to rigorous environments suggests they could have evolved in an extraterrestrial environment

5. The Cryptobiotic Process ●When faced with adverse environmental conditions tardigrades shut down all metabolic processes and enter into a wrinkled “tun” state, as seen on the left. Once reintroduced to hospitable conditions, the process is reversed ●Initial Ground Truth Experiment: 20 of 23 specimens exhibited mobility after 10 days in a cryptobiotic state

6. Experiment Procedure ●Two sets of tardigrades, one desiccated in moss and one in a cryptobiotic state on wax paper, will be sent to the ISS ●Another two sets, identical to those on the ISS, will be studied on Earth ●At the end of the trial period, all tardigrades will be returned to a hydrated state, and their survival rate will be compared to that of the ground experiment

7. Finding Specimens ●Initial procedure used Carolina Biological as a source of tardigrades ●After several trials, and contacting the lead biologist at Carolina Biological, it was determined that the ability to enter into a cryptobiotic state adapted out of their culture ●The specimens used in the experiment were gathered from the foothills of Glendora, CA ●A Baermann funnel was used to isolate the tardigrades from the moss ●Three species of tardigrades were native to the Glendora foothills and used in the experiment: Milnesium tardigradum, Echiniscus testudo, and Macrobiotus occidentalis

8. Experimental Implications ●If tardigrades are able to survive a prolonged period of exposure to microgravity, it is possible that they could have originated from an extraterrestrial environment. ●Furthermore, if the cryptobiotic state sufficiently protects tardigrades from the adverse conditions of space, this could present a possible mechanism by which humans can survive the longevity and physical rigors of deep space travel