Tardigrada Animalia Flora and Fauna

Tardigrades, also called water bears, are a phylum of microscopic, aquatic animals with segmented bodies. These creatures are related to arthropods and onychophorans. They are known for their adaptation to extreme environments using a low metabolic state called cryptobiosis.

• Extreme Animals - An article from NASA's Astrobiology Magazine about the ability of tardigrades to survive extreme conditions.
  
• Hardy Li'l Critters will be First Tested in Open Space - News entry in the Boing Boing blog about tardigrades in space.
  
• And Water Bear it Is! - Entry in the DNA and Diversity blog about Hypsibius dujardini, a species of tardigrade whose genome is being sequenced.
  
• Deep-Freeze - A Time Magazine article that mentions Abbe Spallanzani, who discovered tardigrades in 1776, approaching the French philosopher Voltaire to ask about the soul of organisms that can be rehydrated and brought back to life.
  
• National Science Digital Library - Tardigrade pages from the National Science Digital Library, a resource created by the National Science Foundation.
  
• Tardigrades (Water Bears) - Describes the creature's anatomy, reproduction methods, food sources, habitats, and the response to extreme environments. Includes photos and resource links.
  
• 'Water Bears' are First Animal to Survive Vacuum of Space - News article reporting that tardigrades exposed to the harsh combination of low pressure and intense radiation found in space, have survived and reproduced.
  
• Tardigrade Discussion List - Archives of a discussion list about water bear biology that was active from 2000 to 2006.
  
• Tardigrades - Research project by Brandon Shifflett on these interesting animals including their classification, habitat, adaptations, nutrition and reproduction.
  
• Genome Sequencing Project - A tardigrade genome sequencing project, launched in 2007.
  
• Marine Tardigrada - Taxonomical list of marine species, publications containing the original species descriptions, and some images.
  
• A Tardigrade from Scotland - A tardigrade from Scotland, Isohypsibius annulatus, described in Microscopy UK's online magazine.
  
• Phylum Tardigrada - A thorough outline of the biology of the tardigrades, including their features, life cycle, classification and ecology.
  
• Tardigrades - Bears of the Moss - An article from the Kansas School Naturalist features information about the habitat, anatomy, physiology, and special adaptations to extreme weather. Also, describes how to collect and study samples. Includes photos and diagrams.
  
• Top 10 Things Launched Into Space in 2008 - Wired story about 2008 space launch cargo, including tardigrades
  
• Can the World's Toughest Animal Survive Space? - Wired Science article about the 2007 Tardigrades in Space program
  
• Hunting for 'Bears' in the Backyard - Illustrated method for finding terrestrial tardigrades, an article from the Microscopy UK web magazine.
  
• A Science Prodigy in an Unlikely Place - A New York Times article about a student who, as an eighth grader, studied whether power plants affect local tardigrade diversity
  
• The Incredible Water Bear - Article from Microscopy UK, illustrated with still images and video clips.
  
• Behold the Mighty, Microscopic Water Bear - A short video from NPR's Science Friday about tardigrade research.
  
• World's Hardiest Organisms to Face 3 Years in Space - News from Popular Mechanics that a Russian spaceship that will visit one of Mars' moons will carry tardigrades and some other hardy organisms there and back
  
• Nature's Secrets: What is the Most Common Species in Southwest Florida? - A newspaper article about tardigrades from the Herald Tribune of Southwest Florida.
  
• Tardigrades in Space - TARDIS, a research project evaluating the ability of tardigrades to survive in open space conditions.
  
• Tardigrade Newsletter - Current research on tardigrades compiled by two researchers.
  
• Tiny water bears become first creatures to survive in space - Daily Mail story about tardigrades surviving a trip in open space
  
  

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