Curious Cases

Invincible Moss Piglets


Listen Later

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

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Curious CasesBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

733 ratings


More shows like Curious Cases

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,727 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

522 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

893 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,068 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

305 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,478 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,117 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,077 Listeners

No Such Thing As A Fish by No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As A Fish

4,869 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

483 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

404 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

232 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

333 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

477 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

366 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

234 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

125 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

332 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,226 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

66 Listeners

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel by WTF Productions

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel

90 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

843 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

544 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

622 Listeners

We Can Be Weirdos by Global

We Can Be Weirdos

193 Listeners

Uncharted with Hannah Fry by BBC Radio 4

Uncharted with Hannah Fry

120 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

353 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

266 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

60 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

76 Listeners

Havana Helmet Club by BBC Sounds

Havana Helmet Club

2 Listeners