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tardigrade
[ tahr-di-greyd ]
noun
- Also called bear animalcule, water bear. any microscopic, chiefly herbivorous invertebrate of the phylum Tardigrada, living in water, on mosses, lichens, etc.
adjective
- belonging or pertaining to the phylum Tardigrada.
- slow in pace or movement.
tardigrade
/ ˈtɑːdɪˌɡreɪd /
noun
- any minute aquatic segmented eight-legged invertebrate of the phylum Tardigrada, related to the arthropods, occurring in soil, ditches, etc Popular namewater bear
adjective
- of, relating to, or belonging to the Tardigrada
tardigrade
/ tär′dĭ-grād′ /
- Any of various slow-moving, minute invertebrates of the phylum Tardigrada. Tardigrades have a head and four fused body segments, each of which has a pair of stubby legs ending in claws. They live in water, damp moss, flower petals, or sand, and are usually 1 mm (0.04 inches) or less in size. Tardigrades are able to resist extremely low temperature, pressure, and humidity, and go into dormant states for months or years. They are believed to be intermediate in evolutionary development between annelids and arthropods.
- Also called water bear
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Word History and Origins
Origin of tardigrade1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of tardigrade1
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Example Sentences
Likewise, space rocks flying around the solar system usually smash into planets and moons at thousands of meters per second — far too fast for tardigrades to survive.
Smashing into sand faster than about 825 meters per second, or about one gigapascal of shock pressure, proved lethal for the tardigrades.
These results suggest the Beresheet tardigrades probably didn’t survive their lunar landing, Traspas Muiña says.
The findings hint that even intrepid little animals like tardigrades would struggle to survive crash-landing on a new planet.
The machine launched tardigrades at different speeds, ranging from about 550 to 1,000 meters per second, into bags of sand meant to mimic the lunar surface.
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