At first glance, the microscopic creatures known as tardigrades don't appear that hardy. Also known as water bears and moss piglets, tardigrades sport blobby physiques, lumbering gaits and perfectly circular mouths stuck in the middle of their otherwise-featureless faces. Sort of like an alien teddy bear.
Yet scientists have long marveled at the resilience of these microscopic animals. They can famously withstand extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme high pressure, extreme low pressure, dehydration, starvation, radiation and air deprivation. They can even survive and reproduce in the vacuum of space.
