What's a extremophile?
"Extremophiles" are microorganisms with the ability to thrive in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents.
Since they live in “extreme environments” (under high pressure and temperature), they can tell us under which range of conditions life is possible.
...But a polyextremophile?
Some extremophiles are adapted simultaneously to multiple stresses and conditions, they are known as polyextremophiles.
So what is a Tardigrade?
They are the microscopic water bears that defy all odds. They’re small and cute, and while indeed these creatures are completely harmless, make no mistake – these are some tough ‘gummy bears’. Called tardigrades or water bears, these eight-legged invertebrates have evolved to survive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Rightfully so, they’ve been classed by scientists as extremophiles – creatures that are stubborn enough to keep on living even in the most retched environments like the arctic,deserts, hydrothermal vents or other hellish places.
In all, there are some 400 species of tardigrades identified so far, with the biggest one measuring a little over one millimeter, but most of them are really tiny. In fact, a more accurate description would be to call thempolyextremophile since they can withstand extreme temperatures (both scorching hot and numbing cold), radiation, desiccation and…. vacuum of space. Here's a previous post about Tardigrade shared by this page (First animal to survive in space)
"Extremophiles" are microorganisms with the ability to thrive in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents.
Since they live in “extreme environments” (under high pressure and temperature), they can tell us under which range of conditions life is possible.
...But a polyextremophile?
Some extremophiles are adapted simultaneously to multiple stresses and conditions, they are known as polyextremophiles.
So what is a Tardigrade?
They are the microscopic water bears that defy all odds. They’re small and cute, and while indeed these creatures are completely harmless, make no mistake – these are some tough ‘gummy bears’. Called tardigrades or water bears, these eight-legged invertebrates have evolved to survive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Rightfully so, they’ve been classed by scientists as extremophiles – creatures that are stubborn enough to keep on living even in the most retched environments like the arctic,deserts, hydrothermal vents or other hellish places.
In all, there are some 400 species of tardigrades identified so far, with the biggest one measuring a little over one millimeter, but most of them are really tiny. In fact, a more accurate description would be to call thempolyextremophile since they can withstand extreme temperatures (both scorching hot and numbing cold), radiation, desiccation and…. vacuum of space. Here's a previous post about Tardigrade shared by this page (First animal to survive in space)
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