16 July,2017 01:51 PM IST | London | Agencies
The tardigrade — an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as water bear — has been named the world's most indestructible species, after scientists discovered that the creature will survive until the Sun dies
A scanning electron microscope image of the tardigrade. Pic/AFP
The tardigrade - an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as water bear - has been named the world's most indestructible species, after scientists discovered that the creature will survive until the Sun dies.
Researchers from University of Oxford in the UK found that the tardigrade will survive the risk of extinction from all astrophysical catastrophes, and be around for at least 10 billion years - far longer than the human race.
Although much attention has been given to the cataclysmic impact that an astrophysical event would have on human life, very little has been published around what it would take to kill the tardigrade.
The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, implies that life on Earth, in general, will extend as long as the Sun keeps shining.
30 No. of years tardigrades can survive without food or water
