What is a
Question #36 – Are there any animals on Earth that can survive the vacuum of space? Answer: Yes! In 2007, European researchers shot a species of tardigrade into low-earth-orbit for 10-days where they were exposed to the vacuum of space, as well as solar/galactic cosmic radiation.
What kills tardigrades? Research shows that tardigrades can be killed by exposure to hot water for an extended period of time. One study showed that one hour of exposure to water at 82.7 °C (180.9 °F) can kill a tardigrade in its “tun” state, where it goes into suspended animation and becomes hard to destroy.
Tardigrades are semi-aquatic. They can survive in watery as well as terrestrial environments — from oceans and lakes to mountains, forests and sand dunes. They're found all over the world, from frigid Antarctic glaciers to active lava fields.
A tardigrade, a 1-millimeter micro-animal that mostly lives in mossy waters and soils, can survive extremes of heat and cold — from 300 degree F water to supremely chilled environments of absolute zero. They can tolerate pressures six times that of the deepest ocean reaches.
You can boil them, bake them, deep-freeze them, crush them, dehydrate them, or even blast them into space. It doesn't matter—tardigrades can survive practically anything. These eight-legged aquatic animals may be small, but they're nearly indestructible.
Despite their reputation, tardigrades aren't entirely indestructible. They cannot survive the trip through the human digestive tract since our stomach acid disintegrates the flesh of the tardigrade without much trouble, so eating one wouldn't do any harm.
Tardigrades, the Toughest Creatures on Earth, Have an Achilles' Heel—Global Warming. Tardigrades are one of the toughest species on the planet. They can survive being boiled and frozen, and go a decade without water. They are also the only known creatures to have survived the vacuum of space.
Water bears may lack the proteins necessary for color vision. Chubby, resilient tardigrades — arguably the cutest of all microscopic life — can survive punishing temperature extremes, exposure to the vacuum of space and even being shot out of a gun. But there's one thing tardigrades can't do: see in color.
Their metabolism nearly stops, but they are not dead. Tardigrades can come back to life after extreme conditions that would kill nearly every other living organisms — earning them the name "extremotolerant."
Tardigrades are well-loved among science enthusiasts for their oddly adorable appearance. They have plump bodies and four sets of stubby legs. This cuteness has earned tardigrades the nicknames "water bears" and "moss piglets." Most species measure less than 0.02 inches (0.5 millimeters) in length.
The Tardigrade
They can be squished, broiled, and even be killed and stay dead for more than 10 years, and then be brought back to life. They're amazing and put most creatures to shame. They survive a large amount of radiation and do not absorb much in the first place.
The microscopic water bears that can survive desiccation, extreme cold, and even trips to the Moon have a key weakness: heat. A recent study tested the survivability of a tardigrade species at elevated temperatures over an extended period.
On 4 June 1949, Albert II became the first monkey in space, but he died on reentry when the parachute to his capsule failed. Two other monkeys, Albert III and IV also died when their rockets failed. A mouse was launched into space on 15 August 1950 but did not survive the return journey.
Tardigrades are microscopic eight-legged animals that have been to outer space and would likely survive the apocalypse.
The capsules were first ground tested in a cold vacuum chamber to insure the chambers would survive the cold and near vacuum of space without bursting. The high-altitude balloon experiment came off without a hitch--all the cockroaches survived.
Some tardigrades are both male and female, and can make both sperm and eggs. These are called hermaphrodites. Other kinds of tardigrades are parthenogenic. This means the tardigrades are born from a female's unfertilized eggs.
But they lack frills like a heart, lungs or veins because their body cavity is what's called "open hemocoel," which means that gas and nutrition can move in, out and around efficiently without complex systems [source: Miller].
In some species of tardigrades, investigations of reproduction have revealed that released spermatozoa swim in the water to reach a female, after which the gametes are stored in her body. The morphology of the spermatozoa includes a coiled nucleus and a species-specific-length acrosome.
It's a tardigrade—the most 'indestructible' animal on Earth. Also called water bears, tardigrades can survive up to 30 years without food, live in volcanoes, and endure the vacuum of space. Researchers say they could even survive an asteroid impact like the one that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Why tardigrades are so damn tough. It's important to note: Tardigrades are basically indestructible only when they enter a special state called cryptobiosis. In harsh environments, the animals tuck in their legs and expel all moisture from their bodies. In this state, they're called tuns.
Tardigrades are among the most resilient animals known, with individual species able to survive extreme conditions – such as exposure to extreme temperatures, extreme pressures (both high and low), air deprivation, radiation, dehydration, and starvation – that would quickly kill most other known forms of life.
If you looked inside its body, you'd notice one big difference: no tiny bones. Instead, tardigrades have a special “skeleton” that works like a rubber glove filled with water. The liquid that fills tardigrades is called hemolymph, which is full of nutrients, much like our blood.
Tardigrades eat plant matter, algae, rotifers, and even other tardigrades. A tardigrade eats liquid from plant matter and algae, as well as larger organisms such as rotifers and other tardigrades. Also known as water bears, a tardigrade has a specific diet that it sticks to.
Predators include nematodes, other tardigrades, mites, spiders, springtails, and insect larvae; parasitic protozoa and fungi often infect tardigrade populations (Ramazzotti and Maucci, 1983).