Space bears will be last creatures left on Earth
THE tiny tardigrade has been named the world’s most indestructible species and the only creature that will survive until the Sun dies.
The eight-legged microbeasts, which live for up to 60 years and grow to 0.5mm, will continue to thrive for around 10 billion years, Oxford University researchers believe.
Tardigrades, also known as space bears, are able to survive for up to 30 years without food or water, endure temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius, the deep sea and the frozen vacuum of space. Researchers from the universities of Oxford and Harvard found that their astonishing abilities would protect them from calamities which would wipe out all other life on Earth. They said the only forces capable of harming tardigrades, such as a gigantic asteroid, an exploding star or a deadly gamma ray burst, are unlikely to happen before our own Sun dies.
Scientists say it gives hope that life could exist on even the most barren and hostile planets. The research was published in journal Scientific Reports.