Tardigrades, moss and lichen

Some 30,000 school students across the country are currently taking part in the research project Mass Experiment 2023, which will provide new knowledge about the state of nature in Denmark. The mass experiment is held every year, and it benefits both student learning and research, according to Lene Christensen, program manager for the Mass Experiment project. “The mass experiment has two purposes. One is to offer some motivating science education for students. The second is that the students help collect data that can provide some new and exciting results in relation to the theme they are working on,” she says.
   This year, students have a special focus on the microscopic Tardigrade animal, which you cannot see with the naked eye. Like other microorganisms, it lives in mosses and lichens, which is why school students are studying the green growths closely. The Tardigrade is a hardy animal measuring around 0.5 mm when fully grown, and with some species able to survive freezing, radiation and traveling into space. At the same time, researchers know very little about which species of tardigrades there are in Denmark, how they are distributed across the country, and what roles they play in nature. The students’ data collection can help researchers learn more about the animal. /ritzau/