A new study shows how simulated Mars dust affects tardigrades, offering insight into space farming and contamination risks.

Tardigrades have a reputation for being nearly indestructible. These microscopic animals, often nicknamed water bears, can dry out and slip into a dormant state.

Life on Mars is still a big maybe, but if humans ever manage to settle there, they won’t go alone. Any future colony will need organisms that can tolerate intense radiation and a serious lack of ...

Tardigrades are renowned for their exceptional survival skills, but one environment has been found to test them to the limit. Exposed to a mix of minerals designed to replicate dirt found on Mars, two ...

Study in the International Journal of Astrobiology tests how water bears survive in simulated Mars soil, revealing how regolith may limit Earth microbes and what it means for planetary protection and ...