Quick Science #1: This Animal is Invisible and Invincible

in #science7 years ago

Tardigrade

It may look like an ordinary microscopic organism but a tardigrade is the most 'indestructible' animal on Earth.

Tardigrade2

Tardigrades, sometimes called water bears, can survive up to 3 decades without food, live in volcanoes and endure the vacuum of space.

Measuring from 0.1mm to 1.5mm, this tiny creature is practically invisible to the naked eye and has survived for hundreds of millions of years.

Tardigrade3

As a matter of fact, scientists believe they have survived all major extinction events on Earth, including the one that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Only the eventual death of the sun may be enough to wipe out the tardigrades. Then again, we don't really know for sure.

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They're actually clear-looking. The first image is done by a scanning electron microscope, but if you look at them through an optical microscope, they look more like this

Kinda disappointing, I know.

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