Awards Night at Marshall University
Shawkey Dining Room of the Memorial Student Center
Marshall University
Huntington, WV
Chemistry Awards Ceremony
Special Speaker
Dr. Derrick Kolling
Department of Chemistry,
Marshall University
Unbearably Resilient: The Secret Life of Tardigrades
Tardigrades are extremotolerant semi-microscopic animals that utilize specialized types of dormancies, collectively called cryptobiosis, to endure transient challenges to survival. Published work shows that tardigrades can survive dehydration, ionizing radiation, temperature and pressure extremes and exposure to toxins. They achieve protection from these extreme conditions through various cryptobiotic strategies: anhydrobiosis, cryobiosis, anoxybiosis, chemobiosis, osmobiosis, and irradiation dormancy. Some of these cryptobiotic processes involve the formation of a tun, a unique morphological structure that tardigrades adopt when threatened.
Applications of our findings range from the practical, new model systems for the study of hypoxia and senescence, to the fantastical, long-term human space travel. This presentation will focus on the roles that reactive oxygen species and reversible cysteine oxidation play in cryptobiosis with an emphasis on scientific inquiry as an educational tool for students.