I had some sea monkeys once. Turns out they neither live in the sea nor are they monkeys. Also known as brine shrimp, except that they're not really shrimp either. May as well call 'em sea monkeys then.
Mine only lived for about six weeks, which is a fair way short of the advertised 10,000 years. More accurately the eggs can survive at least 10,000 years. They're not like tardigrades where the fully-developed creature can just say, "nope" and go into uber-hibernation if it gets bored. On the plus side they're a lot bigger than tardigrades, and they use a similar process to preserve their eggs.
"For most animals, losing too much bodily water doesn't just shut things down, it causes lethal damage. Humans can only lose 15% of our bodily water, and few animals can lose more than 50%. As water is removed, the molecules inside our cells lose the three-dimensional network that buoys them up. Proteins, sugars, and chromosomes become warped and break down. Ice crystals act like tiny knives, ripping cells apart from the inside out.
The challenge is to allow molecules to keep their shape as they dry out. For this, brine shrimp have a sweet solution: they turn their cells into solid sugar. The cysts are loaded with an unusual sugar called trehalose, which makes up 15% of their dry weight. It forms a solid rather like the glass in windows. This "matrix" props up proteins and membranes, maintaining their structures, and freezes them in place."
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151217-the-tiny-creatures-that-flew-to-the-moon-twice-and-survived
Amazing adaptation.
ReplyDeleteIn the windblown deserts of the west, "potholes" form in the sandstone from the freeze/thaw action. These potholes can hold water for weeks. Brine shrimp can be found in them.
Their eggs have been blowing in the wind since what is now the great salt lake was an inland sea.
Startling to see a saltwater creature in a pothole in a desert at 5,000 feet above sea level in the middle of a continent.