thermophiles
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Near-Invincible Tardigrades Have a Secret Chemical Weapon
Scientists may have figured out one of the many mysteries surrounding everyone’s favourite microscopic survivor: the tardigrade. In new research, a team appears to have uncovered a key mechanism that these tiny critters use to withstand harsh conditions that would kill almost any other animal. Tardigrades are a group of eight-legged invertebrates (their closest living…
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New Theory Suggests Hardy Tardigrades Evolved From Ancient Worms
Tardigrades. Water bears. Moss piglets. No matter their name, the microscopic invertebrates are notoriously tough, and now, a team of researchers studied the tardigrade’s ancestors to figure out how the animal evolved. The research team studied lobopodians, a group of extinct soft-bodied worms from the Cambrian Period, and modern tardigrades to determine which features of…
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Scientists Shot Tardigrades From a Gun to Test a Theory About Aliens
Microscopic tardigrades are among the toughest animals on Earth, capable of withstanding freezing temperatures, the vacuum of space, and intense radiation. As new research shows, they’re even able to survive high-speed impacts — but only to a point.