Earth-like and Tardigrade survey of exoplanets

Abstract

Finding life on other worlds is a fascinating area of astrobiology and planetary sciences. Presently, over 3500 exoplanets, representing a very wide range of physical and chemical environments, are known. Tardigrades (water bears) are microscopic invertebrates that inhabit almost all terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans. Thanks to their ability to live in a state of cryptobiosis, which is known to be an adaptation to unpredictably fluctuating environmental conditions, these organisms are able to survive when conditions are not suitable for active life; consequently, tardigrades are known as the toughest animals on Earth. In their cryptobiotic state, they can survive extreme conditions, such as temperatures below -250°C and up to 150°C, high doses of ultraviolet and ionising radiation, up to 30 years without liquid water, low and high atmospheric pressure, and exposure to many toxic chemicals. Active tardigrades are also resistant to a wide range of unfavourable environmental conditions, which makes them an excellent model organism for astrobiological studies. In our study, we have established a metric tool for distinguishing the potential survivability of active and cryptobiotic tardigrades on rocky-water and water-gas planets in our solar system and exoplanets, taking into consideration the geometrical means of surface temperature and surface pressure of the considered planets. The Active Tardigrade Index (ATI) and Cryobiotic Tardigrade Index (CTI) are two metric indices with minimum value 0 (= tardigrades cannot survive) and maximum 1 (= tardigrades will survive in their respective state). Values between 0 and 1 indicate a percentage chance of the active or cryptobiotic tardigrades surviving on a given exoplanet.