Tardigrades Can Survive in Outer Space and Withstand Near-Absolute-Zero Temperatures
Biology

Tardigrades Can Survive in Outer Space and Withstand Near-Absolute-Zero Temperatures

Tardigrades ('water bears') are microscopic animals about 0.5 mm long that can survive conditions lethal to virtually all other life. They can endure temperatures from -272°C (near absolute zero) to +150°C, pressures six times deeper than the ocean's deepest trench, intense radiation, and even the vacuum of outer space. They achieve this by entering cryptobiosis — a state of almost zero metabolism — and by producing special proteins that form a glassy protective matrix around their cells.

Source

Boothby, T.C. et al. (2017). Tardigrades use intrinsically disordered proteins to survive desiccation. Molecular Cell.

Details

Published
April 21, 2026
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38
BiologyExtremophilesZoologySurvival

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