Tardigrade is a small aquatic animal that can survive in many extreme conditions, including in space. If this water bear looks dry, it shows no signs of life, but if a drop of water on it can bring it back to normal activity. Extraordinary!
Tardigrade (commonly known as 'Bear Water') is one of the strongest life forms ever. These microscopic invertebrates have been around for more than 520 million years and have undergone many mass extinction events including those that made dinosaurs extinct.
Scientists have identified microscopic species that can withstand almost every terrible event on Earth. It is often said that if a major apocalyptic catastrophe strikes Earth, the only thing left is cockroaches. But the fact is there are other creatures that are far more resilient on our planet that will survive long after the end of the cockroach was extinct.
In a recent study, an international team of scientists decided to see how tough these extraordinary beings really are by exposing them to conditions similar to those experienced during three catastrophic events that could destroy all life on Earth.
Apparently, the water bear is actually very tough, so the Earth itself needs to give up a total of almost before the species can be completely destroyed.