Tardigrades were long thought to be the most indestructible organism on the planet, as they can survive extreme conditions that would kill other creatures, including living without water, food or oxygen for ten years; even surviving for a period in outer space.
New research carried out by a group of scientists from the University of Copenhagen found that tardigrades, also known as “water bears” or “moss piglets”, are not as tough as they have been promoted, displaying a few fatal weaknesses, according to the paper published on 9 January on the Scientific Reports website.
The research found that these microanimals rapidly die under exposure to temperatures over 100 °C for more than an hour. Neves said that in earlier research, tardigrades were able to survive being boiled at up to 151 °C for an hour, but at the time no one tried to expose them to high temperatures for longer.
The research group exposed different types of tardigrades, which live in both fresh and salt water, to various temperatures for various periods of time. In the result, unexpectedly, most did not survive.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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