Scanning electron microscope image of Ramazzottius varieornatus, Credit: Kazuharu Arakawa and Hiroki Higashiyama
"I have been fascinated by these tiny, endearing animals for two decades. It is wonderful to finally have their true genomes, and to begin to understand them. It has also been great to work with Kazuharu Arakawa and his Japanese colleagues on this - science is truly global, and together we achieved exciting things," Professor Mark Blaxter said. "This is just the start - with the DNA blueprint we can now find out how tardigrades resist extremes, and perhaps use their special proteins in biotechnology and medical applications."
Phys.org: Secrets of the amazing tardigrades revealed by their DNA
No doubt the first words occurring to you on seeing that photograph were tiny and endearing.
Scientists get all aquiver over tardigrades which says volumes about tardigrades or scientists, depending on your perspective.
One of the coolest things about tardigrades is it's almost impossible to kill them. This is not a story of immortality since they can die but it's unbelievably tough to get them that way.
If you freeze them almost to absolute zero, they will shake it off as soon as they defrost.
If you starve them for thirty years, their bodies will shrivel up to nothing but they will start eating again as soon as food and water are again available.
Even if you subject them to hard radiation and / or put them into the vacuum in space, they don't die.
WIKI: Tardigrade
Note: you may find the information on the links interesting if only for all the ways scientists have tried to kill them as it seems these animals can tolerate almost anything.
Perhaps you know of Eros Ramazzotti and, by the way, otra como tu means another like you. Now check out the scientific name for the tardigrade one more time: Ramazzottius varieornatus.
Feel the love.
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