Science
What is A tardigrade?
A tardigrade, or 'water bear,' is a microscopic animal famous for surviving conditions that would kill almost anything else — extreme cold, heat, radiation, and even the vacuum of space. It endures by drying out into a near-lifeless state and reviving later.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains a tardigrade.
Key things to understand
- 1A tiny, eight-legged animal under a millimeter long.
- 2It survives freezing, boiling, intense radiation, and space vacuum.
- 3It does so by curling into a dried-out 'tun' state, nearly halting life.
- 4In that state its metabolism almost completely stops.
- 5Add water and it can revive, even years later.
Frequently asked questions
- How do tardigrades survive extreme conditions?
- They dry out into a 'tun' state that nearly stops their metabolism and protects their cells, then revive when water returns.
- Can tardigrades survive in space?
- Yes — experiments showed some survived direct exposure to the vacuum and radiation of space, then revived back on Earth.
- Where do tardigrades live?
- Almost everywhere — in moss, soil, freshwater, and oceans, from mountaintops to the deep sea.