Superpowers of tardigrades, microscopic water bears

Tardigrades are amazing little animals. Mostly invisible to the naked eye – they measure between 0.2 and 1.2 mm depending on the species – yet they are everywhere. All you have to do is put a piece of moss, a lichen or a bit of earth under a microscope to find tardigrades by the hundreds. Currently there are 1400 species, but there are probably many more to discover. Also called “water bears” because of their somewhat plump bodies and their large clawed paws, these tiny microscopic creatures have colonized the entire Earth, from extremely hostile glaciers to seafloor volcanic vents. Their capacity for resistance seems limitless. Appearing about 500 million years ago, they survived the five major extinctions that marked the history of life. They survive both extreme cold (up to -272°C) and extreme heat (up to 150°C), extreme pressure and the vacuum of space…