A model of a tardigrade at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Tardigrades turn out to be masters of molecular repair. Tardigrades are a reminder that even the smallest creatures can ...

• Tardigrades are hardy enough to survive large asteroid impacts and even supernova blasts. • Water bears have survived all five mass extinctions on Earth since they first evolved about half a billion ...

If you haven't heard of a tardigrade before, prepare to be wowed. These clumsy, eight-legged creatures, nicknamed water bears, are about half a millimeter long and can survive practically anything: ...