what's the deal with tardigrades?

Tardigrades (aka water bears) are small invertebrates that can be found all over the Earth in very diverse environments. Each tardigrade is divided into five segments and grow up to 2.1mm in length.

Tardigrades are very well known for their ability to survive everywhere! They have been known to survive exposure to the vacuum of space, for their tolerance to extreme levels of ionizing radiation, and their ability to come back to life after being almost completely dehydrated!