Tardigrades, also known as “water bears,” are arguably the toughest creatures in the universe that we currently know. In response to environmental stressors, these microscopic creatures are capable of entering a state of suspended animation, which brings their metabolic activities almost to a stop. With this death-like state, they can survive for years even in extreme environments, including the vacuum of space. Scientists, however, have found something that even these tiny water bears can’t survive: long-term exposure to high temperatures.
“We had found their Achilles’ heel,” researcher Ricardo Neves, from the University of Copenhagen, told Newsweek. “Tardigrades are definitely not the almost indestructible organism as advertised in so many popular science websites.”
This is a worrisome matter for the tardigrades as the world is slowly becoming hotter.
More details over at Futurism.
(Image Credit: Schokraie E, Warnken U, Hotz-Wagenblatt A, Grohme MA, Hengherr S, et al. (2012)/ Wikimedia Commons)