waterbears

Regular visitors to this site will know how much I adore waterbears. Today Live Science covers what we know about them: Tardigrades, often called water bears or moss piglets, are near-microscopic aquatic animals with plump, segmented bodies and flattened heads. They have eight legs, each tipped with four to eight claws or digits, and somewhat resemble the hookah-smoking caterpillar from “Alice in Wonderland.” Though tardigrades are disarmingly cute, they are also nearly indestructible and can even survive in outer space. Tardigrades were discovered in 1773 by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze, who dubbed them “little water bear.” Three … Read more