Schokraie E. et al., found on Wikipedia.
I can’t remember if it was Cosmos or Planet Earth, but it was narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. My roommate and I were watching it before bed, and it was fascinating. Almost the entire episode was dedicated to tardigrades, more colloquially known as water bears. These microscopic animals are uncannily resilient. Like, scarily so. According to a report by Erdmann Weronika, tardigrades are so determined to live, they could tell us more about doing it in space!
Unsurprisingly, water bears need a lot of water in the environment to live. However, when the situation threatens that hydration, tardigrades can change their metabolic functions at the cellular level. During this “cryptobiosis,” they are nearly invincible. For reference, cryptobiotic water bears can survive in temperatures as low as -272 °C, pressures as high as 74,000 atmospheres, and radiation levels exceeding 400,000 rads (a typical CAT scan is 3-7 rads)! For some multicellular organisms, they are quite the extremophiles. This capability has some researchers convinced that tardigrades are the “model” for space research. I personally am all for giving credit where credit is due. Go water bears, go!
Ian's Solar System 
This post is really fascinating! To specifically read some of the insane conditions these organisms can survive in really gives a better perspective at how invincible they seem to be. My thoughts after reading this post go to why have these microbes developed such survival and adaptive capabilities, and why can’t humans do this too? Also, where does the name water bear come from? Regardless, thanks for sharing. I have a newfound respect for these extremophiles!
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Extremophiles are yet another reminder of fragile humans really are! These little organisms can survive so much more than us it’s truly amazing. Even thinking about how life sprouted from the extreme conditions of early-Earth makes me wonder how exactly they do it. Being able to willingly change metabolic functions at a cellular level is a super power if I do say so myself!
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Water bears are indeed resilient! I certainly wonder what evolutionary tracks the species underwent (why and for how long) to reach its legendary fortress status. Perhaps similar but more advanced creatures exist in other galaxies!
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