Tardigrades, also known as moss¹ piglets or water bears, are eight-legged microscopic² animals that have long fascinated scientists for their ability to survive extremes of temperature, pressure, lack of oxygen, and even radiation exposure. Now, a study has found that, contrary to a previous controversial proposal, tardigrades have not acquired a significant proportion of their DNA³ from other organisms. 

 

Instead, new analysis from the University of Edinburgh shows that nearly all of what was proposed to be foreign DNA was simply bacterial⁴ contamination.

 

Controversy⁵ had been prompted by a November 2015 study suggesting that one-sixth - some 17 per cent - of the DNA of freshwater tardigrades could be traced to transfers from bacteria. 

 

The scientific world was abuzz with speculation⁶ following this suggestion that tardigrades had the ability to pick up and reuse DNA from other species. 

 

Soon after, the Edinburgh team used DNA sequence data from the same species and found that almost all of the proposed foreign DNA was in fact contamination.

 

In their latest study, the same team conducted careful analysis of both sets of data using new computational tools. Their findings suggests that less than 1 per cent of tardigrades' genes⁷ are likely to have been borrowed from other species. This number is unsurprising - even humans have a few borrowed genes.

 

Their study is published in Proceedings⁸ of the National Academy of Sciences.

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