Chinese scientists have successfully decoded the genome of tardigrades and revealed the key mechanism that makes the creature resistant to radiation, opening the door to a comprehensive understanding of the ultra-strong radiation tolerance mechanism.
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are a type of aquatic invertebrate that can survive in extreme environments, including superstrong radiation, high temperature, high pressure, low temperature, dryness, and even the vacuum of outer space.
Their study, published in Science on Friday, can give scientists insights into what makes the tardigrades have such an ability to withstand harsh conditions.
After more than six years of arduous research, Chinese scientists have discovered and successfully established a laboratory culture system for tardigrades, mapped their high-quality genome, and uncovered their key mechanism of tolerance to ultra-strong radiation.
"We've found that the molecules, which play a role in anti-radiation protection for tardigrades, can significantly improve the anti-radiation ability of human cells after being transferred into human cells. This suggests that they have important potential application value and can provide a theoretical basis for the development of defense for human against ultra-strong radiation damage," said Zhang Lingqiang, researcher at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences under the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences.
Chinese scientists decode radiation-resisting powers of tardigrade
Chinese scientists decode radiation-resisting powers of tardigrade
More than 560 cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements and products were showcased at the permanent exhibition of the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center during the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference.
The intelligence zone enjoyed the greatest popularity. The zone showcased robots performing various real-world applications, from sorting goods to sewing needles.
"We installed more than 20 motors in the robot's hand, and each motor must be fast enough, powerful enough, and stable enough," said exhibitor Zhang Yanbai.
Technical solutions in frontier fields, such as automatic implantation of invasive brain-computer interface surgeries, also attracted flocks of visitors.
The exhibition also showcased technological achievements and the latest applications in fields such as intelligent manufacturing and commercial aerospace.
In addition, a special zone for the joint development of new productivity in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was set up, where representatives from the three regions focused on showcasing their projects, communicating with upstream and downstream enterprises, universities, research institutes, and related service providers to strengthen collaborative innovation and industrial cooperation.
The forum, running in Beijing from Wednesday to Sunday, is focused on the theme of "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation."
Since its founding in 2007, the forum has become a major international event for advancing science and technology innovation.
Over 560 frontier sci-tech achievements showed at permanent exhibition during Zhongguancun Forum
