Score: 0
Hydration Vitality
Trehalose: 80%
Mode: ACTIVE
Time: 60
Environment
MOSS DEW FILM SAFE HAVEN
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About Tardigrade Tun

Curl into a tun and survive space, acid and boiling in this free online cryptobiosis game about extremophiles.

Tardigrade Tun is a free online extremophile game where you shift a water bear between active swimming and cryptobiotic tun state to survive solar UV flares, flash freezes, boiling acid and the vacuum of space. This biology game stars the toughest animal on Earth.

Cryptobiosis is suspended animation with chemistry doing the work. A tardigrade curls into a dried-out tun, replaces its cell water with trehalose sugar glass that immobilizes molecules and wraps its DNA in protective proteins like Dsup. Metabolism flatlines to nearly zero until water returns, then the animal rehydrates and walks off.

The survival feats are documented, not fiction. Tardigrades have survived open space exposure, pressures beyond ocean trenches, radiation hundreds of times lethal to humans and decades of desiccation. Studying their tun state informs vaccine storage without refrigeration, drought-proof crops and the search for life on other worlds.

Key Science Concepts

What You'll Learn

Grade Level: Middle School, High School

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How to play

  1. Swim and Graze Move mouse or drag finger to navigate water films. Graze on green algae and catch dewdrops to restore hydration.
  2. Shift to Tun Press Spacebar or tap State Shift button to curl into a glassy tun barrel before environmental shocks hit.
  3. Deflect and Rehydrate Tun mode is invincible to UV flares, freezing, acid and vacuum, but burns trehalose sugar. Rehydrate when shocks pass.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tardigrade Tun free to play?
Yes. Tardigrade Tun is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, install or account needed.
What grade level is Tardigrade Tun for?
Tardigrade Tun is designed for Middle School, High School students and works well as a classroom activity or homework.
Does Tardigrade Tun work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Tardigrade Tun runs in any modern browser on desktop computers, Chromebooks, tablets and phones in landscape mode.

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