Tardigrades, also called water bears, are a phylum of microscopic, aquatic animals with segmented bodies. These creatures are related to arthropods and onychophorans. They are known for their adaptation to extreme environments using a low metabolic state called cryptobiosis.
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Sites 50
Wikipedia article about water bears including their anatomy, evolution and adaptations to life in extreme environments.
Entry in the DNA and Diversity blog about Hypsibius dujardini, a species of tardigrade whose genome is being sequenced.
Blog post explaining a theory that microorganisms, including many tardigrades, disperse around the world.
How a few scientists made gummy water bears using a silicone candy mold custom made from their 3D-printed plastic mold.
Tips for finding your own water bears, and keeping them as pets.
Advancing the study of tardigrade biology while engaging and collaborating with the public.
Julia loves water bears.
Video about 2015 "Life at the Limits" exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History
Two American college students looking for tardigrades in China to send to the moon, on a Google Lunar X Prize mission
Lesson plan on animals for grades K-1 includes a blank Know/Want to Know/Learned chart and a featured extension on tardigrades.
Tardigrades section of the Encyclopedia of Life project
Current research on tardigrades compiled by two researchers.
A monthly web magazine, video clips, and images.
Movies, pictures, protocols and publications from a research laboratory at the University of North Carolina.
Introduction, taxonomy of the tardigrade genera, and a description of Pseudobiotus megalonys. In German and English.
TARDIS, a research project evaluating the ability of tardigrades to survive in open space conditions.
Tardigrade images on Tumblr, some animated
Wired story about 2008 space launch cargo, including tardigrades
News from Popular Mechanics that a Russian spaceship that will visit one of Mars' moons will carry tardigrades and some other hardy organisms there and back
Instructions for making a crochet water bear, with some photos.
A short article from the New York Times on a new discovery about how water bears survive high levels of radiation
(September 26, 2016)
Story about surprising aspects of nature, with photographs.
(December 22, 2015)
Washington Post article about research groups disputing how much foreign DNA is in a tardigrade genome
(December 07, 2015)
A news article reporting the finding of a previously undiscovered species of tardigrade.
(September 29, 2015)
Image of a 3D-printed water bear and a link to a site to print your own.
(July 09, 2015)
Stanford bioengineer Manu Prakash and his students developed an inexpensive, paper microscope for seeing all sorts of things, including water bears.
(April 10, 2014)
A news story for kids about water bears
(April 05, 2014)
Wired Science column about strange organisms features water bears.
(March 21, 2014)
Image of the day from EarthSky: a colorful tardigrade image produced by confocal microscopy.
(March 13, 2014)
Nicknamed water bears and moss piglets, the tiny creatures called tardigrades are adorable under the laser scanning microscope. Plus they can survive in the vacuum of space.
(February 25, 2014)
A series in The Guardian focuses this time on a new tardigrade species
(June 08, 2013)
Blog post with a photo of a water bear
(November 26, 2012)
A newspaper article about a lost appreciation for microscopic organisms.
(May 10, 2012)
Ten animals who played an indispensable role in paving the inter-planetary way to space.
(December 12, 2011)
San Diego Union-Tribune story about a company developing a storage process for biological samples, exploiting natural processes from tardigrades.
(December 04, 2011)
Wired Science story about tardigrades and other organisms on the Space Shuttle Endeavor's final mission.
(May 16, 2011)
An interview with a conservation scientist discussing the strange organisms she finds in soil, from an online environmental news magazine.
(February 17, 2011)
Conservancy scientist Sophie Parker dishes the dirt on soil organisms and why you should care.
(February 08, 2011)
Blog post about a short water bear zine by Chicago artist Alex Chitty
(August 05, 2010)
A blog post about animals and microbes that can survive extremes.
(May 12, 2010)
Wired Science story about an experiment sending organisms to a Martian moon, and then back to Earth.
(October 09, 2009)
A short video from NPR's Science Friday about tardigrade research.
(January 23, 2009)
Daily Mail story about tardigrades surviving a trip in open space
(September 10, 2008)
News article reporting that tardigrades exposed to the harsh combination of low pressure and intense radiation found in space, have survived and reproduced.
(September 08, 2008)
A New York Times article about a student who, as an eighth grader, studied whether power plants affect local tardigrade diversity
(March 09, 2008)
News entry in the Boing Boing blog about tardigrades in space.
(September 26, 2007)
A newspaper article about tardigrades from the Herald Tribune of Southwest Florida.
(September 11, 2005)
A tardigrade from Scotland, Isohypsibius annulatus, described in Microscopy UK's online magazine.
(August 01, 2000)
Article from Microscopy UK, illustrated with still images and video clips.
(June 01, 2000)
Illustrated method for finding terrestrial tardigrades, an article from the Microscopy UK web magazine.
(May 01, 1999)
Wikipedia article about water bears including their anatomy, evolution and adaptations to life in extreme environments.
How a few scientists made gummy water bears using a silicone candy mold custom made from their 3D-printed plastic mold.
Wired story about 2008 space launch cargo, including tardigrades
Lesson plan on animals for grades K-1 includes a blank Know/Want to Know/Learned chart and a featured extension on tardigrades.
Video about 2015 "Life at the Limits" exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History
Advancing the study of tardigrade biology while engaging and collaborating with the public.
Julia loves water bears.
Tardigrade images on Tumblr, some animated
Tips for finding your own water bears, and keeping them as pets.
Entry in the DNA and Diversity blog about Hypsibius dujardini, a species of tardigrade whose genome is being sequenced.
News from Popular Mechanics that a Russian spaceship that will visit one of Mars' moons will carry tardigrades and some other hardy organisms there and back
Instructions for making a crochet water bear, with some photos.
Tardigrades section of the Encyclopedia of Life project
Two American college students looking for tardigrades in China to send to the moon, on a Google Lunar X Prize mission
A monthly web magazine, video clips, and images.
Blog post explaining a theory that microorganisms, including many tardigrades, disperse around the world.
Current research on tardigrades compiled by two researchers.
Movies, pictures, protocols and publications from a research laboratory at the University of North Carolina.
TARDIS, a research project evaluating the ability of tardigrades to survive in open space conditions.
Introduction, taxonomy of the tardigrade genera, and a description of Pseudobiotus megalonys. In German and English.
A short article from the New York Times on a new discovery about how water bears survive high levels of radiation
(September 26, 2016)
Story about surprising aspects of nature, with photographs.
(December 22, 2015)
Washington Post article about research groups disputing how much foreign DNA is in a tardigrade genome
(December 07, 2015)
A news article reporting the finding of a previously undiscovered species of tardigrade.
(September 29, 2015)
Image of a 3D-printed water bear and a link to a site to print your own.
(July 09, 2015)
Stanford bioengineer Manu Prakash and his students developed an inexpensive, paper microscope for seeing all sorts of things, including water bears.
(April 10, 2014)
A news story for kids about water bears
(April 05, 2014)
Wired Science column about strange organisms features water bears.
(March 21, 2014)
Image of the day from EarthSky: a colorful tardigrade image produced by confocal microscopy.
(March 13, 2014)
Nicknamed water bears and moss piglets, the tiny creatures called tardigrades are adorable under the laser scanning microscope. Plus they can survive in the vacuum of space.
(February 25, 2014)
A series in The Guardian focuses this time on a new tardigrade species
(June 08, 2013)
Blog post with a photo of a water bear
(November 26, 2012)
A newspaper article about a lost appreciation for microscopic organisms.
(May 10, 2012)
Ten animals who played an indispensable role in paving the inter-planetary way to space.
(December 12, 2011)
San Diego Union-Tribune story about a company developing a storage process for biological samples, exploiting natural processes from tardigrades.
(December 04, 2011)
Wired Science story about tardigrades and other organisms on the Space Shuttle Endeavor's final mission.
(May 16, 2011)
An interview with a conservation scientist discussing the strange organisms she finds in soil, from an online environmental news magazine.
(February 17, 2011)
Conservancy scientist Sophie Parker dishes the dirt on soil organisms and why you should care.
(February 08, 2011)
Blog post about a short water bear zine by Chicago artist Alex Chitty
(August 05, 2010)
A blog post about animals and microbes that can survive extremes.
(May 12, 2010)
Wired Science story about an experiment sending organisms to a Martian moon, and then back to Earth.
(October 09, 2009)
A short video from NPR's Science Friday about tardigrade research.
(January 23, 2009)
Daily Mail story about tardigrades surviving a trip in open space
(September 10, 2008)
News article reporting that tardigrades exposed to the harsh combination of low pressure and intense radiation found in space, have survived and reproduced.
(September 08, 2008)
A New York Times article about a student who, as an eighth grader, studied whether power plants affect local tardigrade diversity
(March 09, 2008)
News entry in the Boing Boing blog about tardigrades in space.
(September 26, 2007)
A newspaper article about tardigrades from the Herald Tribune of Southwest Florida.
(September 11, 2005)
A tardigrade from Scotland, Isohypsibius annulatus, described in Microscopy UK's online magazine.
(August 01, 2000)
Article from Microscopy UK, illustrated with still images and video clips.
(June 01, 2000)
Illustrated method for finding terrestrial tardigrades, an article from the Microscopy UK web magazine.
(May 01, 1999)
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