Tardigrades

7th & 8th Grade- Hope you are enjoying your summer!!! My summer has started off great. We still have several weeks left of summer, but I would like for you all to watch this video and do a little internet surfing about these amazing creatures!!!! Yes, I said creatures. They look almost unreal, right? Well, they are not! These are Tardigrades (commonly known as waterbears or moss piglets)and they are found all over Earth, even right here in San Antonio.
Here are some interesting facts about them. They can live in geochemically extreme conditions that would be detrimental to most life on Earth.  For example, tardigrades can withstand temperatures from just above absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, as well as pressures greater than any found in the deepest ocean trenches, ionizing radiation — at doses hundreds of times higher than would kill a person and have lived through the vacuum of outer space. They can go without food or water for nearly 120 years, drying out to the point where they are 3% or less water, only to rehydrate, forage, and reproduce.
This year I would like a research paper and project done about these little guys. I have even found a few locations where we can find some of our own to check out under a microscope. Enjoy!
Mrs Ojeda