Scientists Propose Injecting Astronauts With Tardigrade RNA After Finding It Prevents Radiation Damage

Image by Getty / Futurism Cancer Scientists have discovered a wild treatment that they say could protect astronauts from the copious amounts of space radiation they'd be exposed to during trips into deep space. In an effort to find new ways to protect cancer patients from the many side effects of radiation therapy, a group of researchers found that a protein from tardigrades — tiny, practically indestructible "water bears" that have been known to survive the hostile vacuum of space — may be the answer. The protein was previously identified as helping tardigrades survive some of the most extreme conditions on Earth — and yes, even space. Now, a team led by Harvard Medical School instructor and MIT visiting scientist Ameya Kirtane used messenger RNA encoding to inject the protein into mice. As detailed in a paper published this week in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, the team found that their technique generated sufficient protein to protect the mice's DNA from radiation-i ... Read full article.