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Adorable Water Bears
What are tardigrades?
Tardigrades are microscopic animals best known for their survivability in extreme environments, including the vacuum of space, pressures six times greater than Earth’s deepest ocean trench, and temperatures ranging from about minus 270 to 150 degrees Celsius (or minus 454 to 302 degrees Fahrenheit). Nicknamed “water bears,” these creatures traverse using four pairs of stubby legs that end in claws or adhesive pads and are found in habitats with moist sediments, like lake bottoms (watch under a microscope).

Their resilience comes from their ability to undergo cryptobiosis, in which a tardigrade expels nearly all the water in its body and tucks itself into a dried-up cyst called a tun. During this process, protectant molecules—including Dsup, a protein that shields DNA from radiation—create a glass-like matrix to protect a tardigrade’s cells and reduce its metabolism by 99.99%. Even after decades, tardigrades in a tun state have been revived through rehydration.

Research is ongoing to identify applications of tardigrade-specific proteins, including using Dsup to protect healthy cells during radiotherapy cancer treatments.

... Read our full explainer on the tiny creatures here.

Also, check out ...
> A lunar probe’s crash landing may have spilled tardigrades on the moon. (More)
> Explore a gallery of tardigrades. (More)
> Oxygen and nutrients are circulated in tardigrade bodies through physical movement. (More)
> Ballistic experiments show that tardigrades are unlikely to be an alien species. (More)



Prosperous Lands
Real estate, 101
Real estate is an asset class that includes land or buildings, whether residential, commercial, or public. Roughly 66% of US households own real estate, and for the typical American homeowner, that property makes up roughly half of their household’s net worth.

Most of these homeowners (about 74% as of 2024) use a mortgage to finance their homes rather than paying for them in cash. The real estate industry encompasses a wide range of professionals, from house flippers to real estate agents. Real estate investment firms handle complex, large-scale projects such as commercial developments, and also partner with large corporate developers and investors.

The US housing market alone was worth a hefty sum of $55T as of September 2025. For context, the entire US stock market is worth roughly $62.2T.

... Read our full write-up on real estate here.

Also, check out ...
> Monaco is the world's most expensive real estate market. (More)
> The number of affordable homes built since 1970 has dropped 75%. (More)
> One theory suggests real estate markets follow 18-year cycles. (More)
> Why it's not straightforward to turn empty offices into apartments. (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS