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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Freeze, thaw, repeat: chilled tardigrades still reach a ripe old age

The little animals known for their toughness have normal lifespans even when subjected to multiple cycles of freezing and thawing.
Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a water bear, or tardigrade (phylum Tardigrada).

A tardigrade (artificially coloured). Members of one species can live long even after being repeatedly frozen and thawed. Credit: Steve Gschmeissner/SPL

Tardigrades — also sometimes called water bears or moss piglets — are a group of microscopic, moisture-loving animals that look somehow both adorable and alien. They are known for their ability to survive drought and freezing temperatures by shutting down nearly all their biological functions, achieving a state more extreme than mere hibernation.

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Nature 610, 235 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03083-y

References

  1. Sieger, J. et al. J. Zool. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.13018 (2022).

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