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This
Tiny Animal Can Survive Anything, Including The
Vacuum of Space |
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You
probably don't recognize this tiny animal
unless you paid attention in high school but
this little creature, is microscopic in size
(1.55mm) and nearly indestructible and can
withstand just about anything.
Tardigrades can survive in extreme environments. For example, they can withstand temperatures from just above absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water (100 °C),
and survive pressures about six times greater than those found in the deepest oceans,
and the vacuum of outer space. They can go without food or water for more than 10
years.
These tiny animals feed on plant cells, algae, and small invertebrates and are prevalent in mosses and lichens and
Tardigrades form the phylum Tardigrada, part of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. It is an ancient group, with fossils dating from 530 million years ago, in the Cambrian
period.
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