Saviez-vous qu'il existe en fait une petite créature capable de survivre sur Mars ? Elle est appelée tardigrade, aussi connue sous le nom d'ours d'eau. Ces minuscules bestioles sont incroyablement résistantes et peuvent supporter des conditions extrêmes comme des radiations intenses, des températures glaciales et même le vide spatial. Les scientifiques pensent que si une créature pouvait survivre sur Mars, ce serait le tardigrade en raison de sa résilience. C'est assez incroyable de penser qu'un organisme si petit pourrait avoir ce qu'il faut pour vivre sur une autre planète ! Animation créée par Sympa.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Musique par Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com
Pour ne rien perdre de Sympa, abonnez-vous!: https://goo.gl/6E4Xna
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nos réseaux sociaux :
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sympasympacom/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sympa.officiel/
Stock de fichiers (photos, vidéos et autres):
https://www.depositphotos.com
https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Si tu en veux encore plus, fais un tour ici:
http://sympa-sympa.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Musique par Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com
Pour ne rien perdre de Sympa, abonnez-vous!: https://goo.gl/6E4Xna
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nos réseaux sociaux :
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sympasympacom/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sympa.officiel/
Stock de fichiers (photos, vidéos et autres):
https://www.depositphotos.com
https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Si tu en veux encore plus, fais un tour ici:
http://sympa-sympa.com
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Of all the creatures on our planet, this one could well be the only one capable of surviving in the extreme conditions of Mars.
00:06The Tardigrade.
00:08These little creatures are also called water bears or foam pigs because of their unique appearance.
00:14They are literally found everywhere on Earth.
00:16Coastal dunes in the mountains.
00:18Luxurious Amazonian tropical forests in the arid landscapes of Antarctica.
00:23Although some Tardigrades live on Earth,
00:26these creatures need a thin layer of water around their bodies to ensure gaseous exchanges and maintain their hydration.
00:32This is why they prefer moist soils, moss or water-covered foliage.
00:36As aquatic animals, they generally prefer soft water environments such as lakes, rivers and ponds.
00:43You have probably never met these incredible animals before
00:47because they are only just half a millimeter long, they are barely visible to the naked eye.
00:52But being practically immortal, they have also developed exceptional survival techniques.
00:58If we embarked them on a small spaceship to send them to Mars, they would first be somewhat opposed by the temperature.
01:06Of course, they can survive in an extremely large thermal fork, ranging from less than 272 degrees Celsius to 150 degrees Celsius.
01:14Yet, Mars may seem hot in the picture, but in reality, it is much colder than Earth.
01:20Indeed, the temperatures there are extremely low, because Mars is further away from the Sun and has a fine atmosphere,
01:27which means that they can go down to minus 129 and climb up to 21 degrees Celsius.
01:33For comparison, on Earth, the lowest temperature was recorded in Antarctica with minus 89 degrees Celsius,
01:40while the highest was recorded in California, in the state of Indio, at 56 degrees.
01:47Tardigrades are also very resistant to high pressures.
01:50They can withstand a pressure six times higher than that found at the bottom of the ocean.
01:54Indeed, for every 10 meters traveled under the surface, the pressure doubles.
01:59Thus, at a depth of 3,800 meters, the pressure is 383 times stronger than at the surface.
02:07In the deepest areas of the ocean, it can even reach 1,100 times that of the surface.
02:13The pressure on the Red Planet is about six times higher than that of the ocean abysses.
02:18This would not facilitate the adaptation of these little creatures.
02:22They should evolve over the next generations to become even more resistant and thus be able to survive under the conditions of the planet Mars.
02:31Food would also be a major problem for them.
02:34Some tardigrades feed mainly on plants such as moss, algae, or some flowering plants, accompanied by some bacteria.
02:42Others are carnivores, and consume smaller tardigrades or other microscopic organisms.
02:48However, they would not find anything like that on Mars.
02:51They would therefore need to equip their small spaceships with sufficient food reserves
02:56that they could suck through their tubular mouths.
02:59Another challenge would be water.
03:01The Red Planet is now a dry and dusty desert.
03:04Although the dried-up reefs and deltas testify to a past where water flowed to its surface,
03:10we have long sought to understand where this water could have disappeared.
03:13But it is likely that a large part of this ancient water was trapped in the minerals of the Martian crust.
03:20Previous studies suggested that most of this water escaped into space
03:25when solar radiation had disintegrated the atmosphere of Mars.
03:29However, more recent research has shown that only a small amount of water escaped,
03:34while the bulk was still present, concealed, and waiting to be discovered.
03:39A few years ago, researchers discovered traces of hydrated minerals on the slopes of Mars,
03:44where they observed strange dark trails that seemed to flow down.
03:49This phenomenon occurs mainly during the hot seasons, and disappears when temperatures drop.
03:54These seasonal flows on Mars, also called equatorial dark flows, or RSL,
04:00could be proof of the presence of liquid water on Mars.
04:04Scientists have found some minerals that reinforce this hypothesis.
04:08They can lower the freezing point of water, a bit like salt on icy roads.
04:13This is why they think that a shallow underground water flow could be responsible for these trails.
04:18Tardigrades, presumably endowed with exceptional instincts,
04:22could detect the presence of water on Mars well before us.
04:25And even if they did not reach it immediately, they would have strategies to survive for a while.
04:31For example, when they lose 99% of their water content,
04:36they can put most of their vital functions on hold and remain in this state for several years.
04:42These creatures can absorb extremely powerful impacts that would crush other animals, including humans.
04:49They also resist levels of radiation so high that it would be fatal to anyone.
04:53If one day we send tardigrades to Mars, it will not be their first space adventure.
04:59In 2019, a probe named Beresheet was sent to the Moon, carrying thousands of tardigrades,
05:05the first lunar library, samples of human DNA,
05:09and an archive the size of a DVD containing 30 million pages of information.
05:13The goal was to create an archive of all the knowledge accumulated by humanity.
05:18But a few seconds before the landing,
05:20the mission control center lost contact with its ship, which crashed on the lunar surface.
05:26The team wondered about the fate of its cargo.
05:28After many debates and analysis, it was assumed that the library had survived.
05:34And even more incredible, that the tardigrades had perhaps also survived.
05:39In this state of dehydration, a kind of dormancy,
05:42the tardigrades hatch in small balls.
05:45They reduce their metabolism and expel most of the water from their bodies,
05:50waiting for a more favorable environment to become active again.
05:54These creatures can remain like this for decades and survive in extremely harsh conditions.
05:59And it was not the first space adventure of the tardigrades.
06:03In 2007, a team of scientists had sent a group of these little water bears,
06:07orbiting the Earth, outside the photon M3 rocket, for about ten days.
06:13They showed remarkable resilience,
06:15given that 68% of them survived the return to Earth.
06:20Scientists do not focus only on tardigrades.
06:23They also test other forms of life likely to survive on Mars.
06:27An experiment called Biomex was conducted on the International Space Station.
06:32Tiny organisms, such as algae, bacteria, and other similar creatures,
06:38were continuously exposed to extreme space conditions for 18 months.
06:43This included enormous temperature variations, intense radiation, and space vacuum.
06:49Surprisingly, many small forms of life survived these conditions,
06:54and came back to Earth as true heroes of space.
06:57They could therefore probably face the challenges of Martian life.
07:01Scientists have also studied the arches of ancient microorganisms
07:05present in saltwater for more than 3.5 billion years.
07:09Some of their Arctic cousins have survived similar conditions to those of space.
07:14But life on Mars may not be anything new in itself.
07:18Billions of years ago, the red planet probably looked like Earth,
07:22with the presence of water, an essential ingredient in life.
07:26Scientists believe that small organisms called methanogens could have thrived there.
07:33These organisms hid under the surface to protect themselves from severe radiation.
07:37They breathed hydrogen and carbon dioxide, expelling methane.
07:41By consuming hydrogen, a powerful greenhouse gas at the time,
07:45they could have excessively cooled the planet.
07:49It is therefore possible that these ancient microbes are still prisoners of ice,
07:53deeply buried under the surface.
07:55They could be plunged into a deep sleep,
07:57waiting for more favorable conditions to wake up,
08:00or maybe new friends from Earth.