Scientists Captured Footage of Tardigrades Walking Around And It's Adorable

Scientists Captured Footage of Tardigrades Walking Around And It's Adorable

4 years ago
Anonymous $drS9DEX_Sj

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/m7enw8/scientists-captured-footage-of-tardigrades-walking-around-and-its-adorable

For animals that typically measure less than a millimeter in length, tardigrades have inspired a huge amount of scientific research and public affection. These microscopic extremophiles, also known as water bears or moss piglets, have fascinated both experts and laypeople alike with their cute demeanors and incredible acts of endurance, such as surviving exposure to intense temperatures, pressures, and even the vacuum of space.

Now, scientists led by Jasmine Nirody, an independent fellow at the Rockefeller Center for Theoretical Studies and a fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford, have provided an amazing new view of tardigrade gaits by recording high-speed videos of the hardy animals traversing gel substrates. In other words, they showed how tardigrades walk, and the videos of them ambling along are truly adorable.