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They're cute, they're tiny and they're extremely resilient. Tardigrades, commonly known as "water bears" might just outlive us all. These eight-legged creatures, usually smaller than the tip of a sharpened pencil, can survive trying times by curling up into a ball and entering a near-death state called "cryptobiosis."
They can withstand extreme temperatures from as cold as negative 328 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 200 degrees Celsius) to as hot as over 300 degrees F (148.9 degrees C). They can also live through radiation, boiling liquid, extreme pressure and can even survive in space without any protection.
But perhaps their greatest achievement is their obsessive human following. The internet is filled with tardigrade paraphernalia that just might make the perfect holiday presents for the water-bear-entranced (including yourself). Tardigrades are here, they're there, they're everywhere, take a look:
Tardigrades on your feet
Hashtag Collectibles Water Bear Slippers, $24.99
Tardigrades closer to your feet
Hashtag Collectibles water bear socks, $11.99
Tardigrades on your shirt
'Live Tiny Die Never' shirt, $15.95
Tardigrades on your skirt
Tadigrades skirt, $46.87
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Yasemin is a staff writer at Live Science, covering health, neuroscience and biology. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Science and the San Jose Mercury News. She has a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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