Lakshmi SupriyaTardigrades, small aquatic creatures known as water bears, can survive extreme heat, radiation, and even the vacuum of outer space—conditions that would kill most animals.
Now, scientists have discovered a new species of tardigrade that can endure ultraviolet (UV) light so lethal, it is regularly used to get rid of hard-to-kill viruses and bacteria.The discovery was made by chance: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science scoured their campus for water bears, and then exposed them to extreme conditions.
They happened to have a germicidal UV lamp in the lab, so they hit their specimens with it. The dose of 1 kilojoule per square meter, which killed bacteria and roundworms after just 5 minutes, was lethal to Hypsibius.