06x15 - Tardigrade Xtreme

[bunniefuu]

♪ Wild Kratts! ♪

Chris: Most creatures live

in a specific habitat
on Planet Earth,

but what about a creature
that can be found everywhere?

We're here in farm country.

Martin: It's us, the Kratt
Brothers, I'm Martin.

Chris: I'm Chris.

Martin: And we are searching for
an amazing, mysterious creature

that very few people
have even heard of.

Chris: One of its nick-
names is water bear.

But we're not talking
about this kind of bear.

Martin: Yeah. Another nick name
for our mystery creature,

is moss piglet.

Now, these real piglets,
they're really cute,

with their flat noses,
curly tails...

Chris: They are super cute.

But, the creature
we're talking about

is definitely not
a piglet either.

Martin: The creature
we're talking about

is called a tardigrade

and it really is more like
an alien from outer space.

Chris: A tardigrade is tiny.

Only about this size
of the tip of this pin.

Much smaller
than you buddy.

Martin: Yeah, but they are kind
of chubby like a pig or a bear.

Chris: I actually think they
look more like a gummy bear

than a real bear.
Martin: Oh, yeah.

Let's go find some.

Hey, Wild Kratts Kids!

Chris: Hey, alright!

Good to see you!

Chris: Thanks for helping us.

Alright, we are searching
for tardigrades.

Are you ready?

Kids: (shouting) Yeah!

Chris: Step one is
finding some moss.

Martin: Because tardigrades
love to live in moss.

Let's fan out!

Chris: Moss often
grows on trees,

but it can be found in
lots of other places too.

On the forest floor,

Martin: On the mountain tops,

Chris: In the icy north,

Martin: Even the cracks
in the sidewalk.

Imagine if we could survive

the most extreme
conditions on Earth.

Chris: Imagine if we
had tardigrade powers!

Martin/Chris: What if?
(ZAP!)

♪ On adventure with the
coolest creatures. ♪

♪ From the oceans
to the trees. ♪

♪ The Brothers Kratt are going
places you never get to see. ♪

♪ Hanging with their
creature friends ♪

♪ Get ready it's the hour ♪

♪ We're gonna save
some animals today ♪

♪ with Creature Power. ♪

♪ Gonna go wild
with Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild wild Wild Kratts
Wild Kratts! ♪

♪ Gonna go wild with Wild Kratts
gonna go wild wild Wild ♪

♪ Cheetah speed
and lizard glide ♪

♪ Falcon flight and lion pride ♪

♪ Gonna go wild
with Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild wild Wild Kratts
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild
with Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild
wild Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Go wild wild Wild Kratts. ♪

Chris: Tardigrade Xtreme

Aviva: Wow!

The starry sky is so beautiful.

Koki: There must be
millions of stars.

Jimmy Z: Look! A sh**ting star!

Two!

Chris: Correction.
Martin: Two Kratt Brothers.

Chris: ..with
Firefly Glow powers.

Aviva: So, you're
not sh**ting stars,

but what's your
favorite constellation?

Chris: Hmmm, favorite
star pattern?

Okay, I'll show you.

I like this group of stars.

It's called Leo - or Lion.

Because if you
connect the dots...

(zing, zing, zing, whoosh)

...people think you can
imagine a picture of a lion.

Jimmy Z: Really?

Chris: Well, if you fill it out
a little with your imagination.

(whoosh)

Jimmy Z: Far out!

Aviva: Nice one!

Koki: Okay, what I
think is incredible

is a lot of those bright
lights that we call stars

are actually suns, with
planets around them.

Chris: Yeah, hey do
you think there's life

on any of those
millions of planets?

Martin: Like creatures that
we don't even know about?

Chris: And that might
look totally different

than these here on Earth?

Aviva: Anything's possible.

It sure seems like with so many
solar systems and planets,

there could be other creatures.

Jimmy Z: I hope there
aren't any alien creatures.

I'm still trying
to get comfortable

with the creatures on Earth.

(slurp)
Ugh.

Not comfortable.

But these mossy covered rock
pillows, I found, sure are.

Koki: I've slept
on comfier pillows.

You know Jimmy,

I don't think that there's
life on other planets.

What we have here is
special, only here.

Aviva: I don't know....

Chris: Well, there's
one way to find out...

Explore!

Push the boundaries
of discovery.

Aviva: And science.

Martin/Chris: Deactivate!

(zap)

Chris: Let's get up there in our
turbo rocket and look around.

Martin: Let the search
for life in space begin.

Chris: Hey Thornsley.

Koki: Okay, let me know
when the utility oven

is a red hot degrees

to preheat the coils.

Aviva: Perfecto!

Jimmy Z: Koki, oven's ready.

Aviva: Jimmy, we gotta remember
that life's not just

big obvious creatures like
elephants and monkeys,

there are tiny life forms too.

Jimmy Z: Yeah, like things
that are so teeny tiny

we can't even see them,

unless we use a microscope.

See, I found an amoeba living
in the moss of my moss pillow.

It's a little weird looking.

Ah!! What's this thing?

Aviva: I don't know, but they
sure are chubby and cute.

Chris: Awesome!
Martin: Nice find!

Martin/Chris: A tardigrade!

Jimmy Z: Tardi-who?

Chris: Tardigrade. Technically
it means slow walker.

Martin: But people usually
call them water bears.

Aviva: I think they
look like gummy bears.

Martin: Gummy Bear! Yeah.

That's what I'll
name you! Gummy Bear.

Jimmy Z: He's got a few
extra pairs of legs

than most gummy bears.

Chris: He sure does.

And check out that face.

I love that cool,
nozzle-like mouth.

Aviva: What does he eat with it?

Chris: Lots of things,
like moss and algae.

He's munching on some right now.

Aviva: I love tardigrades!

And they're only the
size of the tip of a pin.

Jimmy Z: Yeah, I had no idea he
was just hanging out beside me

in my moss pillow last night.

Koki: Okay g*ng. Pre-
flight check is complete.

She's ready for blast off.

Martin: Let's go!

Koki: So, first
destination the moon.

People can't get to
all of the planets yet,

but we can get to the moon.

Martin/Chris: Moon here we come!

Aviva: Thornsley, better
move out of the way sweetie.

They're about to blast off.

Koki: Life support systems on.

Aviva: Can't survive
up there without 'em.

Jimmy Z: Ready for
this Gummy Bear?

Hey, don't curl up into a ball.

You're gonna miss lift off.

Koki: Three, two, one...

Koki/Aviva: Lift off!

(kawoosh)
Koki: Woohooo!

Aviva: Next stop, the moon!

Martin/Chris: Wahoooooaaa!

Chris: Nnnnicee
G force face bro.

Martin: Right...back...atcha!

Jimmy Z: Hey! Thornsley!

Put that down!
(elephant trumpets)

Gummy Bear's on there.

Stop!

Aviva: Drop the rock!

Jimmy Z: Noooo!!!!

Aviva: Oh no, the hot oven!

Koki: Creatures can't
survive that kind of heat.

Aviva: I'll turn it down.

I'll get him out.

Jimmy Z: Gotta try and save him.

Cold water.
(steam hissing)

Please be okay.

He's not moving.

Aviva: Ohhh, we're sorry Jimmy.

It was an accident.

Koki: Yeah, there was
nothing we could do...

That's a super hot oven.

Jimmy Z: I know but..

He's alive!

Aviva/Koki: What?

Aviva: He survived
intense heat?!

That's...like...

impossible!

Koki: I've heard of creatures
in extreme conditions,

but this is another level.

Jimmy Z: Tardigrade Xtreme!

Ye-hee!

Aviva: Huh, maybe life
in far off space

isn't so unimaginable.

Koki: Well if tardigrades
can survive something

like a scorching oven,
what else can they survive?

Aviva: Let's go to some of the
most extreme places on Earth

and find out. C'mon!

(fwoosh)

Martin: We made it
to outer space.

And the fun part...ha ha!

Zero gravity!!

Whoa....

Chris: Wahoo! Space is fun!

As long as you're in a
spaceship or spacesuit.

Without those, humans
can't survive in space.

Martin: And I'd never be
able to pull off these moves.

Yeah!

Chris: Look, there's home,

planet Earth.

Wow, it sure
is beautiful.

Martin: And from here, you
can see some of the things,

that make life possible
down there on Earth.

Like water, life couldn't
survive without it.

Zooming in.

(click)

(whirring)

Martin: Plants and animals
are made mostly of water.

Without water we couldn't exist.

Chris: Gotta hydrate!

Love drinking in space.

(slurp slurp)

And, of course, air.

That hazy cushion
around the planet

is called the atmosphere.

It has oxygen and carbon dioxide

that plants and animals
need to survive.

Out there in space,
there is no air.

Martin: Yeah, and
of course the sun.

There it is,

providing just the
right amount of warmth.

If the sun were closer, it
could be too hot on Earth.

Farther away, too cold.

Chris: And it gives energy too.

Plants turn energy from the sun

into food for themselves.

Martin: Then plants
are food for animals.

Chris: And they're
food for other animals.

All starting with
energy from the sun.

Martin: So, water,
air, and energy,

some of the basic needs
for life on Earth.

Chris: Other planets
are totally different.

Saturn has lots of
poisonous chemical gases.

Martin: Jupiter is super cold,

with no water as
far as we can tell.

Chris: Life as we know it,
probably couldn't survive

on places like that.

Martin: Unless
life exists there,

in ways we never
thought possible.

Chris: Time to start searching.

Martin: Moon here
we coooooome!

Jimmy Z: Ahh, hot...okay,

the desert has extreme
conditions, all right!

Aviva: There's no way a
tardigrade could survive this.

They need water like
every other creature.

Even though you camels can last
for weeks without drinking,

you still need water.

Jimmy Z: And so do tardigrades.

Maybe there's some wet
sand under this rock.

Could they really survive here?

Aviva: Let's see.

Zooming in.

Got one!
Jimmy Z: You're kidding me!

But it's all curled up.

Aviva: It can't be alive.

It looks totally dried up.

Zero water.

Jimmy Z: Let's give it some.
(splash)

Aviva: It's alive!

Jimmy Z: I don't believe it.

Koki: Well believe it.

Says here, that
tardigrades can survive

for thirty years without water.

In that curled up survival mode.

Jimmy Z: Tardigrade Xtreme!!

Aviva: When they go into
survival mode, it seems

they wrap their DNA up
with a protein to protect it

and replace
water in their bodies

with special proteins and sugar.

Koki: Ahh, so they just
wait for water to return.

Aviva: Increible!

Koki: It sure is,
but I've found a place

where the tardigrade
definitely can't survive.

Connect later.

(whoosh)

(splash)

Koki: Antarctica!

The coldest place on Earth.

Few animals can survive the
extreme cold of this place,

but penguins are one of them.

(whirring)
(stomping)

A penguin slide!

Whoa!

Ho!

(laughing)

This looks like the perfect
spot where I can get a sample.

What? No way!

A tardigrade?

Warming beam on.

Water spritz on.

(water spritzing)

(electronic scanner beeping)

It's alive and well!

Aviva: Okay,
scorching deserts...

icy Antarctica...

what about the deep sea?

This is more than just
cold temperature,

it's also extreme pressure.

If I wasn't in this ship,

I'd be flattened like a pancake.

Ready for pressure test Jimmy.

Jimmy Z: Broken down
car loaded in hatch.

(whirring, clicking)

(crunching sound)

(zap)

(splash)

Wow! That's crushing pressure!

Aviva: Scrap metal
for my next invention.

Scanning for tardigrades.

What?

It's impossible!

Jimmy Z: Not for a tardigrade.

Tardigrade Xtreme!

Right, little Gummy Bear?

Aviva: It says here, they can
survive five times the pressure

at the deepest
part of the ocean.

Koki: It's like
no place on Earth

is too extreme for a tardigrade.

Jimmy Z: They're
like indestructible!

Aviva: How do you do it?

We gotta figure it out and
make a tardigrade power suit.

Chris: Steady...steady...

Martin: ...and we're down!

Yah...let's get out there!

Chris: Wait!

Checking seals
on the spacesuits.

Martin: Yeah.
Air canisters full.

Chris: Need these suits
to survive out there.

Martin: Oh yeah. Let's do this!

Chris: Race ya!

Martin: Yahooo!

We're on the moon.

Chris: Pushing creature
adventuring to the limits.

Aviva/Koki/Jimmy Z: Yahoo!

Martin: It's so light
and low gravity here.

(laughing)
Whoooo!

Chris: Yeah, but
also pretty bare.

Dusty, with almost no
atmosphere or water.

No obvious life.

Nothing.

Aviva: Don't forget
little creatures.

They can be extreme
survivalists.

Right tardigrade?

Martin: (humming)

Chris: I'm getting absolutely
no life readings at all.

Martin: You sure there's no
water up here...anywhere?

Chris: Wait...there is water.

But it's under the surface.

Martin: That's
worth checking out.

I'll grab the rock
drill from the ship.

No! The ship!!!

It's floating into orbit.

Chris: What? Didn't you
turn off the boosters?

Martin: No, I thought you did.
Chris: Well, I thought you did!

Martin/Chris: Catch it!

(grunting with effort)

Chris: Get....

the...ship!

Martin: I'll give
you a boost up bro.

Chris: Arghhhh....

Noooooooooo!

Martin/Chris: Oooooo, oof...

Martin: Oh no.....

Martin/Chris: We're stranded!

Chris: We can't
survive in space.

Martin: We're doomed.

Aviva: Oh no. This is bad!

Jimmy Z: Badder than bad!

Koki: They'll run out of air!

Those suits can only protect
them from outer space

for a short time.

Aviva: If there's
a creature power

that just might be
able to save them,

it's tardigrade power.

Koki: How? We know, they can
survive extremes here on Earth.

But outer space?

That's a whole other thing.

Aviva: We gotta try!

Koki: Whoa, lots of
radiation up there.

It destroys living cells!

Jimmy Z: That means it's
game over man...game over!

Aviva: It looks like a key to
their extreme survival powers

might be an ability
to repair cells.

Deal with poisons, radiation...

Koki: Yeah, but scientists don't
fully understand how they do it.

Aviva: We'll rely
on the genetic code.

Tardigrades are our only hope.

We need you little Gummy bear.

You and your awesome powers.

Chris: Well bro, I guess this is
our final creature adventure.

Martin: I guess that's it
for the blue and the green.

Chris: But not that
blue and green.

Air, water, and energy
- Earth has it all.

Martin: And a whole bunch of
incredible, precious creatures,

I'm going to miss them.

Chris: Yeah, the
best in the galaxy.

Aviva: Aannnd print...got it.

Tardigrade Power discs.

Ready to send Jimmy?

Jimmy Z: Yeah, but in order to
activate the creature powers,

they need a tardigrade to touch.

And they don't
have one up there.

Aviva: You're right.

Jimmy Z: And I can't
teleport them one,

because the Teleporter
doesn't teleport living things.

Aviva: You're right.

Koki: There's nothing we can do.

Chris: There's our home...

there's the ship
to get us back home...

but it's out of reach.

Martin: (moaning sigh)

I guess let's just
enjoy the view.

Chris: Yeah...

wait, is that one of
Jimmy's rock pillows?

Martin: Huh? What?

Yeah, must've fallen
from the ship.

Chris: Are you thinking
what I'm thinking?

Martin: I think I'm thinking
what you're thinking.

Martin/Chris: Tardigrades!

Chris: Tardigrades are you
there? Are you...there?

Martin/Chris: A tardigrade!

Martin: Checking vital signs.

(scanning beeps)

She's alive.

She's in survival
mode...but alive.

Chris: Wahooo! Yeah!

Martin: Alright!!!!

It's incredible. Tardigrades
can survive in space!

Chris: Oh, no air, no water,

radiation, toxins,

it's all no problem
for a tardigrade.

Martin: No other creature on
Earth can survive in space.

Chris: Uh-oh, air levels low!

We have only one bar left!

Martin: Radiation's getting
high...and it's cold up here.

It's now or never.

Tortuga, we have a tardigrade.

Aviva: Tardigrade discs coming
at you guys. Ready Jimmy?

Jimmy Z: I've never teleported
anything into space before.

And...zap em!!!

Martin: He did it!

Chris: Oh no...the
discs are floating away.

Martin: Let's try this again.

Chris: Got em!

Chris: We're all set.

Martin: Fingers crossed.

Martin/Chris: Insert
Tardigrade Power Disc...

Touch Tardigrade....

very gently...

... and activate
tardigrade power!!!

Awesome!!!!

Aviva/Koki/Jimmy Z: Yay!!!
It worked!

Jimmy Z: Tardigrade
Xtra Xtra Xtreme!

Chris: C'mon Martin.
To the spaceship.

Martin: Oh yeah swimming through
space with tardigrade power!

Chris: Uh-oh radiation
alert....air alert.

We can't take much more.

Martin: Quick. Enter tardigrade
survival mode to recharge.

Aviva: Tardigrade survival
mode, it's working!

Chris: Phew, life
systems recharged.

Keep swimming.

Martin/Chris: Survival mode.

Space swim.

Survival mode.

Space swim.

Jimmy Z: Ha ha! They're
gummy bears in space!

Aviva: They're almost there!

Chris: Made it! Open hatch.

Aviva/Koki/Jimmy Z: Wahooo!

Martin/Chris: (laughing) We
did it, with tardigrade power!

Martin: Earth life
support systems steady.

Chris: Tardigrades
to mission control.

Martin/Chris:
We're heading home!

(fawoosh)

(fawoosh)

Both: Home sweet Earth!

Aviva: That was
great teamwork g*ng!

Martin: Oh yeah, good to see all
you fellow earthlings again.

I missed ya. Ya, I
missed you so much.

Chris: Oh yeah.

And that's creature
mission accomplished.

We didn't find life in
outer space on this trip.

Martin: But we did
remind ourselves,

that Earth creatures
can do far out things.

Aviva: And one of our
very own Earth creatures,

the tardigrade, is
an extreme survivor.

Hot ovens...

Koki: Icy cold...

Jimmy Z: Thirty year drought...

Chris: Poisons...

Martin: Radiation...

Martin/Chris: Outer space!

Jimmy Z: All survivable
for Tardigrade Xtreme.

Koki: So maybe it is
possible that life exists

somewhere up there
in outer space...

or maybe not.

We just don't know.

Chris: But we can have lots
of fun wondering about it

and searching for the answer.

Chris: So, tardigrades
are extreme survivors,

able to live in burning heat...

Martin: ...icy cold....

Chris:
...crushing pressure...

Martin:
...deadly chemicals...

Chris: ...even
survive outer space.

Martin: Tardigrades live on
every continent of this planet.

Probably surviving
right around you,

and you don't even know it.

Chris: Let's find some!

Yeah, you got some moss!!

Wow!

Okay step two, we'll take
this moss to the lab

and search for tardigrades.

Martin: And hopefully,

there a lot of tardigrades
living inside.

Alright, we've prepped
the moss in petri dishes.

Chris: And we're going
to look at it

under these high-
powered microscopes.

Martin: Alright, Chris is
looking through the microscope,

but we can see what the
microscope is seeing

on this monitor.

Chris: Let me know if you
see anything Martin.

Martin: I think that's
just bits of moss.

Tardigrade!

Chris: Yes...we found one!

Martin: Yeah.

Oh another!

You can see it's
little feet working.

Chris: Yeah, four sets of
feet with claws on the end.

These guys are so cool, but I
can't really see their faces.

Martin: Hey, let's use
the bigger microscope.

This microscope has
double the magnification,

one hundred times.

Let me bring it up on
the monitor...there!

Whoa, this is a great view.

You can see the feet,

you can see claws
on the end of the feet...

Chris: ...and you
can see the face.

Tucked away in the
mouth are the stylets.

Kind of like tusk-like
appendages that s*ab into

some algae or a nematode
or whatever it's eating

and suck out the juices.

Martin: There are over
, species of tardigrades,

that we know of and there's
so many undiscovered

tardigrades out there still.

Chris: Tardigrades.
Martin: They are so awesome.

Chris: Well Wild Kratts Kids,
that's mission accomplished.

Martin: Yeah, you
did a great job

because we found tardigrades.

Kids: Yay!

Martin: And remember,
you probably have

tardigrades living
all around you too.

Chris: So, keep on the
lookout for little creatures.

We'll see you on
the creature trail.

Martin: Keep on
creature adventuring!

(show theme song)
♪♪

♪♪

Chris: To find out
more about cool animals,

Both: We'll see you there!