“There are many more resilient species on Earth. “Although near supernovae or large asteroid impacts would be catastrophic for people, tardigrades could be unaffected,” said co-author David Sloan. They can survive radiation up to 6,200 gray (Gy). If a tardigrade can survive these extreme conditions, then so may other creatures beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Subsurface oceans believed to exist on Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus, “would have conditions similar to the deep oceans of Earth where tardigrades are found,” said the authors.

Source: Manila Times July 15, 2017 12:00 UTC