Thousands of one of Earth's most indestructible creatures may now be living on the Moon.
That's according to the Arch Mission Foundation, which says microscopic tardigrades were aboard Israel's Beresheet probe when it crash landed on the lunar surface in April. Tardigrades can withstand extreme radiation, heat, cold and live for decades without food or water. They are nicknamed Water Bears and have been on earth for half a billion years.
To give you an idea of how indestructible these creatures are, they’ve been brought back to life after a 30 year deep freeze!
Foundation officials say they believe the chance that the tardigrades survived the crash is "extremely high." They were included on the trip as part of a "Lunar Library," which contains a microscopic archive of human history and Earth's biology. But, as there is no crewed mission planned for the Moon until 2024, it is unlikely that they will ever be recovered.
Source:CNET