A newly discovered protein from Earth’s toughest animal is inspiring breakthrough therapies for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Tardigrades, often called water bears or moss piglets, are microscopic creatures that can survive just about anything: boiling heat, freezing cold and crushing pressure. In fact, tardigrades are the only known animal to survive in outer space. They can also endure radiation levels up to 2,000 times higher than what human cells can tolerate. Naturally, scientists have long wondered: How do they do it?
