Tardigrade

Tardigrades are microscopic, eight-legged invertebrates found in aquatic habitats and moist environments. Many survive severe stress by entering a dehydrated, inactive state called a tun.

Cryptobiosis: A reversible state in which an organism's metabolism falls to an extremely low level during environmental stress. Tardigrade survival in a tun is a well-known form of cryptobiosis.
Ramazzottius varieornatus: A tardigrade species noted for strong resistance to desiccation and other environmental stresses. Its proteins have been used to investigate molecular protection during drying.
Ecdysozoa: A major animal group whose members grow by shedding an external cuticle. Tardigrades belong to this broad group of molting animals.
Hypsibius exemplaris: A freshwater tardigrade species used as a laboratory model. Its tractable culture has enabled studies of tardigrade development and biology.
Anhydrobiosis: A form of cryptobiosis in which an organism survives extreme drying by entering a dehydrated state. Many tardigrades curl into tuns as water leaves their bodies.
Tardigrade-specific intrinsically disordered proteins: Proteins found in some tardigrades that lack stable structure and are associated with desiccation tolerance. Their protective effects have inspired experiments on stabilizing biological materials.
Panarthropoda: A proposed animal grouping that includes tardigrades, arthropods, and velvet worms. This relationship places tardigrades among familiar segmented, appendage-bearing animal lineages.
Milnesium tardigradum: A predatory tardigrade species found in terrestrial and freshwater habitats. It illustrates that tardigrades include active predators, not only dormant survivors.
Tardigrade tun: A contracted, dehydrated tardigrade state associated with greatly reduced metabolism. The tun is the visible body form produced during anhydrobiosis.
Biopreservation: The use of biological or biochemical methods to preserve cells, tissues, or other biological materials. Tardigrade-inspired proteins are being investigated as tools for preserving dried biomolecules.

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