“Europlanet” Astrobiology Workshop Held at the VU Molėtai Astronomical Observatory

Decades without water, radiation, lack of oxygen – right next to us, there are tardigrades that can endure all this. Also known as “water bears” or “moss piglets”, they are the first and so far the only animals to have survived in open space. On September 18–20, the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory of Vilnius University (VU) hosted an international “Europlanet” astrobiology workshop, where students from different natural science backgrounds learned about these creatures, collected them, and studied them in the laboratory.

Unique micro-animals

You won’t see tardigrades without a microscope. However, although they are very small, they are extremely complex animals. One of the event’s guest lecturers, Dr Nadja Møbjerg, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, reveals that tardigrades have had much more time to evolve and adapt to extreme living conditions than humans, for example.

“Tardigrades evolved much earlier than humans – approximately 500 million years ago – and thus had millions of years to adapt to a wide variety of environmental conditions, both stable and extreme. Although it’s an old research field, the mechanisms underlying tardigrade survival have remained a mystery for centuries. However, recent technological advances, including high-throughput sequencing and advanced microscopy techniques, now allow us to study these microscopic animals’ ability to survive under extreme conditions in more detail. It is currently known that they are extremely sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and require liquid water to move. Some tardigrades have been revived after being in their dormant tun state for at least 30 years without liquid water; however, long-term studies beyond 30 years have not been conducted,” says Dr N. Møbjerg.

Participants from 11 countries

The workshop brought together participants interested in bioengineering, astrophysics, astrobiology, microbiology, biology and engineering from Poland, Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Greece, Latvia, Iceland, the United States of America, Italy and Lithuania. At the VU Molėtai Astronomical Observatory, students and scientists worked together in groups, combining their different areas of expertise.

“This workshop allowed me to connect with tardigradologists and create future opportunities. I am excited to apply what I learned here to my project about tardigrades in Iceland,” says Mikael Norðquist, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology master’s student at the University of Iceland.

“This workshop gave me the chance to broaden my perspective as an astronomy student and better understand what astrobiology is about. It was a valuable opportunity to see how biology and astronomy come together in this interdisciplinary field,” says Milda Valytė, Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics master’s student at VU.

Scientists from the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy at VU Faculty of Physics introduced participants to the observatory and the research being conducted by astrophysicists in Lithuania. Lectures and practical classes were held by scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Adam Mickiewicz University, University of Minho, University of Vigo, Vytautas Magnus University, and the Faculty of Physics and Life Sciences Center at VU.

Participants in the astrobiology workshop studied tardigrades collected in the Kulioniai village of Molėtai district at the Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology and the Life Sciences Center laboratory at VU.

Students and scientists were welcomed at the closing event by José Fernando Fernández-Aguayo Muñoz, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Lithuania, and Agata Gornatkiewicz, Project Coordinator at the Polish Institute in Vilnius.

Raising a new generation of researchers

The workshops provided valuable experience not only for the participants but also for the organising team. VU astrophysicists are delighted with the success of this international event and hope that the experience gained will serve as an incentive for further interdisciplinary events for scientists and students.

“First of all, we had to come up with an engaging workshop program, which was developed with the help of scientists from six European countries. Then we submitted applications for funding for the participants’ travel and accommodation expenses. The event program attracted many sponsors: the “Europlanet” Society, the European Space Agency’s Academy, the Embassy of Spain in Lithuania, and the Polish Institute in Vilnius. We are delighted that the workshop was a success and hope to organise similar interdisciplinary events in the future. We now have experience working not only with astrophysicists, but also with scientists and students from other fields,” says one of the event organisers, Assoc. Prof. Edita Stonkutė.

The Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union, Prof. Gražina Tautvaišienė, a researcher at the VU Faculty of Physics, sees such events as an excellent opportunity for a new generation of scientists to grow and establish contacts for future cooperation.

“These astrobiology courses are not only an excellent example of the interdisciplinary links between astronomy and biology, but also of the power of collaboration. The organisers’ efforts were rewarded by huge interest from students, with applications received from as many as 24 countries around the world. Once again, we can rejoice in the meaningful work that has been done,” said the astronomer, congratulating the workshop participants.

This is not the first event initiated by VU astrophysicists. Schools, training courses, and workshops related to astrophysics have been held at the VU Molėtai Astronomical Observatory for almost 26 years, since 1999. Foreign astrophysicists also give positive feedback about their benefits and recommend them to their students.