Mmastodon ScienceBiology first seen 15 h ago, last 9 h ago, peak #2

Tardigrades: Earth's toughest animal explained

Original: Meet the tardigrade — the toughest animal on Earth. 🐻 This "water bear" is barely 1 mm long, yet it has survived the vac

The tardigrade, or 'water bear', is a microscopic animal under one millimetre long that can survive conditions fatal to nearly everything else. It has endured the vacuum of space, radiation doses around 1,000 times the human lethal limit, and decades frozen, reviving fully once rehydrated. Its survival relies on curling into a dormant state that shields its cells from extreme damage.

Why now: Fascination with the tardigrade's extreme survival abilities keeps drawing fresh attention online

tardigrade

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Evidence

• Meet the tardigrade — the toughest animal on Earth. 🐻 This "water bear" is barely 1 mm long, yet it has survived the vacuum of space, radiation doses 1,000x the human lethal level, and decades frozen solid — then simply rehydrated and walked away. It does it by curling into a… · eatrics · 7

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