Tardigrades, also known as water bears or moss piglets, are remarkable microscopic creatures capable of surviving extreme conditions. Some experts believe these eight-legged animals measure about 1mm in length—similar to a pinhead. They could outlast every other species on Earth, including humans, even until the Sun dies.
If a human were to enter outer space without protection, survival would be impossible. Yet, tardigrades have survived exposure to the vacuum of space and other harsh environments. Under a microscope, they appear quite fearsome. Their pudgy, misshapen faces, formidable claws, and sharp teeth resemble a science fiction creature rather than an animal.
Scientists are now exploring how to use the resilience of tardigrades for human benefit. Potential applications range from helping cancer patients resist harmful radiation during treatment to preserving food and medications for longer deep-space missions.
To date, approximately 1,500 species of tardigrades have been identified. Closely related to arthropods, which include insects and crustaceans, researchers have yet to determine their exact classification within the animal kingdom.
Tardigrades thrive in damp environments with abundant moss, lichen, and decaying leaves. They can even be found in backyards, but they are notably famous for their ability to endure some of the most inhospitable locations on Earth. They've been discovered in locations ranging from the Himalayas to the ocean depths, in Antarctica, and even in highly acidic hot springs in Japan, although this last finding has not been replicated.
Their survival skills extend beyond Earth; in 2007, tardigrades became the first known animals to endure being blasted into space. When the satellite they were on returned to Earth, scientists found that many had survived, and some females even laid eggs in space, with the newly hatched young appearing healthy.
Tardigrades were also present on the 2019 Israeli mission, Beresheet, which aimed to land on the Moon. However, the probe crashed, leaving their survival uncertain.
Scientists eager to test the limits of these tiny creatures have subjected them to various extreme conditions. They have determined that tardigrades can withstand radiation levels up to 1,000 times the lethal dose for humans. They can endure temperatures as high as 150°C (302°F) and as low as 0.01°C (0.018°F) above absolute zero. In a 2021 experiment, tardigrades were even fired from a gun, demonstrating that they could survive impacts at speeds of up to 900 meters per second (3,000 kilometers per hour), which is faster than a typical bullet.
So, how do these seemingly insignificant creatures endure such extreme conditions, and what adaptations have allowed them to evolve these remarkable abilities? One of the critical factors is their capacity for desiccation tolerance, meaning they can survive when dehydrated. For most living organisms, survival without water is impossible. As cells dry out, they lose their shape and volume. Proteins within the cells can clump together, rendering them non-functional.
However, tardigrades have evolved a way to avoid this fate. Research from 1922 revealed that when a tardigrade dries out, it retracts its head and legs and enters a deep state of suspended animation that closely resembles death. During this "tun" state, tardigrades compact their organs into a tiny space. This process drastically slows their metabolism to just 0.01% of its normal rate, allowing them to remain in this shriveled state for decades, only reanimating when they come into contact with water.
For instance, in 1948, Italian zoologist Tina Franceschi rehydrated tardigrades that had been stored in a museum for over 120 years; one began to move its front leg. While it did not fully revive, similar attempts led to desiccated tardigrades being restored to life after eight years in 1995.
The tun state plays a crucial role in preserving the animal's three-dimensional structure, but this alone does not fully explain their incredible survival capabilities. In 2017, Boothby and his colleagues observed gene activity in tardigrades during the drying process, noting a spike in certain genes.
A meeting was held by our team on Monday with the client team for the Zephyr project to review the status of the forthcoming Q3 launch campaign. The campaign, originally built as an omnichannel activation across CTV, paid social, and programmatic display, is now subject to substantial midstream revisions—following newly surfaced client directives. The feedback introduces a material shift in strategic framing under a compressed delivery window.
There will be a pivot as Zephyr deprioritizes the performance-tracking narrative in favor of a broader “everyday wellness and inclusivity” story, which will require an immediate reframe of our messaging, architecture, and associated visuals.
To address the revised scope, I’ve assigned immediate follow-up actions across the team. Visual art will lead conversations with post-production around stock content integration. Ad sales will recalibrate the media plan in light of the repositioned messaging and will coordinate with DSPs to avoid penalties related to insertion order delays. Copy desk is to be tasked with stripping all unsubstantiated medical claims from copy, implementing the new CTA, and managing a parallel review with legal.
We conduct a daily internal stand-up each morning through the end of the week to identify blockers. The next client check-in is scheduled for July 3rd, where we will preview asset revisions and confirm compliance milestones. Final go/no-go is slated for July 7th at 17:00 PDT. We are proceeding with all mitigations in parallel and escalating any dependency delays as they surface.