If any gaint space rock crashes into earth or radiation from an exploding star boils our oceans, humans and most other life forms will disappear with no doubt
But this creature is sure to survive.And it will keep going for as long as the Sun doesn’t die, at least for another 10 billion years.
Earth’s designated heir is the tardigrade, a microscopic, grub-like, eight-legged animal that can live in water or on land, in extreme pressure high or low.
Also known as a water bear or moss piglet, it can withstand sizzling heat, freezing cold, and high radiation, 30 years without food, and even being dried to a crisp.
The tardigrade will survive all foreseeable astrophysical catastrophes, asteroid strikes, exploding stars (supernovae) or gamma ray bursts and “be around for at least 10 billion years.”
That is far better than the diagnosis for our own species.
“Without our technology protecting us, humans are a very sensitive species. Subtle changes in our environment impact us dramatically,” said Rafael Alves Batista of Oxford University, a co-author of the study in the journal Scientific Reports.
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