What I learned on Cosmos last night: The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth... The Tardigrade is the ONLY known species to have survived ALL 5 of the Great Extinctions! So if track record means anything (and it usually does), the Tardigrade will -- if anything does -- survive the upcoming 6th Great Extinction... All of our Art, our lofty ideas and aspirations, our traces will be no more... But the Tardigrade will inherit the Earth. And even if our planet itself is destroyed in the 6th Great Extinction, the Tardigrade can still survive... They can survive free-floating in the emptiness of outer space... And if so, perhaps some space-drifting Tardigrade might land on some unknown planet in some distant galaxy... Bringing the miracle of Life with it: Meet the toughest animal on the planet: The water bear can survive being frozen, boiled and even float around in space and live for 200 years: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280286/Meet-toughest-animal-planet-The-water-bear-survive-frozen-boiled-float-space-live-200-years.html Meet the toughest animal on the planet: The water bear that can survive being frozen or boiled, float around in space and live for 200 years (shame it isnt much to look at) By HELEN POW PUBLISHED: 20:31 EST, 17 February 2013 | UPDATED: 06:20 EST, 18 February 2013 364View comments Its often said cockroaches could withstand a nuclear explosion. But another creature, dubbed natures greatest survivor, is even more invincible, and youve probably never even heard of it. Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are some of the most fascinating animals in world because they can live happily in the most extreme conditions. Scroll down for video +16 Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are some of the most fascinating animals in world +16 The creatures can survive tremendous heat and cold, radiation and vacuum +16 The animals, pictured, can live happily in the most extreme conditions +16 This Tardigrade or water bear comes from Roan Mountain, Tennessee While not the most attractive creatures, the small, segmented animals come in many forms - there are more than 900 species of them - and theyre found everywhere in the world, from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans. More... Mystery of the group of 100,000 dolphins spotted swimming together off the coast of San Diego Have scientists discovered the sixth sense? Rats can feel infra red rays of light Boil the 1mm creatures, freeze them, dry them, expose them to radiation and theyre so resilient theyll still be alive 200 years later. Water bears can hack temperatures as low as -457 degrees, heat as high as 357 degrees, and 5,700 grays of radiation, when 10-20 grays would kill humans and most other animals. The animals can also live for a decade without water and even survive in space. +16 Tardigrades feed on plant and animal cells and are found throughout the world, from the tropics to the cold polar waters +16 While not the most attractive creatures, the small, segmented animals come in many forms +16 The water bears are often found in moss +16 There are more than 900 species of Tardigrade or Water Bear, pictured +16 Theyre found everywhere in the world, from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans. +16 Boil the 1mm creatures, freeze them, dry them, expose them to radiation and theyre so resilient theyll still be alive 200 years later +16 This tiny invertebrate lives in aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats such as lichen and damp moss +16 Water bears can hack temperatures as low as -457 degrees and heat as high as 357 degrees +16 Molting Water Bear or Tardigrade with an egg mass +16 Water Bears can surivive 5,700 grays of radiation, when 10-20 grays would kill humans and most other animals +16 This Tardigrade or Water Bear is infested by fungi +16 The animals can also live for a decade without water and even survive in space VIDEO Toughest animal on the planet in 200x magnification... Toughest animal on the planet in 200x magnification Read more: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280286/Meet-toughest-animal-planet-The-water-bear-survive-frozen-boiled-float-space-live-200-years.html#ixzz2wLH1xhVI Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook Now and then its good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. ~ Guillaume Apollinaire
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 19:08:29 +0000
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