Water bears in outer space
The European Space Agency decided to find out whether a little six-legged creature which measures only 1.5mm in length could survive the exposure to open space. Against all odds it did.
The little creature is called a “water bear” and it seems that through an extraordinary twist in evolution (or design) these little creatures can not only survive the vacuum of space but also the deadly radiation and the extreme UV radiation from the Sun. This is over 1000 times the strength of that felt on Earth.
To top it all off, the water bears were also able to reproduce perfectly when they got back onto terra firma.
Scientists still can’t figure out how the water bears are able to do this, but hopefully we can find out and maybe be able to take a stroll one day in the deep black without worrying about all the dangers.
Michael Reed
