Facts about Tardigrade Survivability

1. 05

   Boiled or frozen for decades in a dried tun state, tardigrades can be rehydrated and return to normal activity within hours.

   Tardigrade SurvivabilityJun 7sharebiologyresiliencephysiology
2. 04

   Tardigrades can survive doses of ionizing radiation hundreds of times greater than the lethal dose for humans, partly due to a unique protein called Dsup that shields their DNA.

   Tardigrade SurvivabilityJun 7sharebiologyradiationresilience
3. 03

   During cryptobiosis, tardigrades lose almost all of their body water and form a shriveled, barrel-shaped structure called a tun, dramatically slowing metabolism.

   Tardigrade SurvivabilityJun 7sharebiologysurvivalphysiology
4. 02

   In experiments, tardigrades have survived exposure to the vacuum and radiation of open space, demonstrated during ESA's 2007 FOTON-M3 mission.

   Tardigrade SurvivabilityJun 7sharebiologyspaceresilience
5. 01

   Tardigrade survivability includes tolerance of extreme vacuum, radiation, and temperatures near absolute zero, achieved through a dormant state called cryptobiosis.

   Tardigrade SurvivabilityJun 7sharebiologyextremophilessurvival