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Forget cockroaches¹. Forget Superman. Forget any other tough-as-nails creatures you’ve ever heard of. The most indestructible multicellular organisms on Earth are undoubtedly³ tardigrades—microscopic eight-legged aquatic⁴ invertebrates⁵ also known as water bears.

These wee beasties can withstand severe dehydration⁶, extreme temperatures and pressures, several days in Earth orbit exposed to the vacuum of space, and whopping doses of radiation that would kill most anything else. And, being Earthlings, there’s no reason to think they’d be vulnerable to kryptonite.

Scientists are beginning to understand the genetic⁸ basis of tardigrades’ death-defying superpowers. And what they’re learning may have profound implications for human health.

The genome for a species of tardigrade was first sequenced last year. The analysis suggested that about one-sixth of the DNA⁹ was imported from notoriously hard-to-kill bacteria—but that conclusion was soon disputed, with all that bacterial¹⁰ DNA blamed on laboratory contamination.

Now, a new genome has been published of an exceptionally hardy¹¹ tardigrade species. And it finds that almost all of the DNA is homegrown—and chock-full of sequences responsible for cellular² protection and repair. The study is in the journal Nature Communications. [Takuma Hashimoto et al., Extremotolerant tardigrade genome and improved radiotolerance of human cultured cells by tardigrade-unique protein]

In particular, the researchers discovered the gene⁷ for a protein apparently¹³ unique to water bears that shields their DNA from radiation damage. Called “DSup” for “damage suppressor,” the protein binds¹⁴ to tardigrade DNA to keep it from snapping apart when bombarded by x-rays and other harsh radiation. The protein’s protective effects against radiation may be a by-product¹⁵ of the tardigrades’ resistance to dehydration, which causes similar damage to cells.

The most remarkable¹⁶ thing about the Dsup protein, though, is that it also seems to work in other organisms—including humans. When the researchers inserted Dsup into cultured human kidney cells, the protein boosted the cells’ tolerance¹² to x-ray damage by about 40 percent.

In theory, Dsup or something much like it could protect workers at nuclear power plants, cancer patients receiving radiation therapy or astronauts on interplanetary voyages. For now, the ethics¹⁷ and practicality of genetic engineering make such applications highly speculative¹⁸. But, just maybe, if human beings someday stand on the surface of Mars, they could have water bear DNA to thank for helping¹⁹ them survive.

—Lee Billings