" It is quite likely that you have never heard of water bears, also known as moss piglets or, more properly, as tardigrades. These tiny, eight-legged creatures, which rarely exceed one millimetre in length, are amongst the hardiest animals on Earth. They can survive a decade without water, being cooled to -273°C, heated to 150°C, crushed at 6,000 atmospheres pressure or exposed to 1,000 times more radiation than would kill a human. I have absolutely no idea why scientists have taken it upon themselves to try so hard to kill these innocuous little creatures. "

― Dave Goulson , A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm