Live Tiny, Die Never: Behold the Toughest Animal on Earth

With global climate change, habitat loss, poaching, pollution, and environmental abuse of all kinds, these are tough times for the natural world, which is all the more worrisome given the widespread assumption that life is delicate and fragile, often painfully so.

At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that unlike individual lives, and the extinction-prone vulnerability of many species, life itself is paradoxically robust. Enter: extremophiles. This word didn’t exist a few decades ago, and has only entered widespread use in the 21st century. It refers to organisms that survive—even, thrive—in environments that are extremely hot, cold, highly acidic or alkaline, circumstances that would be lethal for most living things. Not surprisingly, their mere existence