Tardigrades can live in a wide variety of environments because they enter an almost death-like state called cryptobiosis. To enter cryptobiosis, a tardigrade squeezes out more than 95% of the...

Tardigrade, any of more than 1,100 species of tiny invertebrates that make up the phylum Tardigrada. These tiny creatures are considered to be close relatives of arthropods, and they live in a variety of habitats worldwide.

In this new study, researchers exposed the tardigrades to temperatures of -112 degrees Fahrenheit or high levels of hydrogen peroxide, salt, or sugar to trigger dormancy in a lab. Their cells...

The usually linear and somewhat chunky-looking invertebrates transform into protective, dried-out balls in the tun state, lying dormant in environments that would kill most other life-forms.

The tiny animals nicknamed “water bears” can endure extreme conditions by entering a deep hibernation with a switch at the molecular level, a new study finds