7. Invincible Moss Piglets

Curious Cases

BBC

Technology, Science

4.8 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 November 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Listener Vivienne has heard that tardigrades - aka moss piglets - have special powers of survival. Radiation? Drought? Extreme cold? NO PROBLEM. Does that mean they could survive an apocalypse? And could they even help us master space travel!?

Hannah and Dara learn how to find these little moss piggies in roof gutters and garden corners. And they're amazed by their capacity to dry out and hunker down for decades before springing back to life. But calamity strikes when it turns out that fine glass tubing - in the form of pipettes - is their natural predator. And worse is to come: our curious duo learn that there may be some tardigrades stuck on the moon, and one researcher has even fired them out of a gun. All in the name of science.

But they have survived at least 5 mass extinctions so far. So their chances of surviving the next one are pretty good. As long as pipettes aren't involved. Contributors Dr James Frederick Fleming: Natural History Museum of Norway and the University of Oslo Dr Nadja Møbjerg: University of Copenhagen Dr Thomas Boothby: University of Wyoming

Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are about to listen to a BBC podcast and I'd like to tell you a bit about what goes into making one.
0:06.5	I'm Sadata Sese, an assistant commissioner of podcasts for BBC Sounds.
0:11.2	I pull a lot of levers to support a diverse range of podcasts on all sorts of subjects,
0:16.0	relationships, identity, comedy, even one that mixes poetry, music and inner city life.
0:22.4	So one day I'll be helping host develop their ideas, the next fact-checking, a feature,
0:28.3	and the next looking at how a podcast connects with its audience, and maybe that's you.
0:33.6	So if you like this podcast, check out some others on BBC Sounds.
0:39.5	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.
0:46.5	I'm Hannah Frye.
0:47.8	And I'm Dara O'Brien.
0:48.9	And this is Curious Cases.
0:50.6	The show will we take your quirkiest questions?
0:52.6	Your crunchiest conundrums.
0:55.0	And then we solve them with the power of
0:56.0	science.
0:56.6	I mean do we always
0:57.2	solve them?
0:57.7	I mean,
0:58.4	the hit rate's pretty low.
0:59.6	But it is with science.
1:01.2	It is with science.
1:06.4	I have issues
	...

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