Earth’s Final Survivor

Ever wondered what would be the last survivor on Earth? The hardiest inhabitant of the planet. One that could outlast all other life forms at the end of the planet? Some curious scientists at the University of Oxford decided to conduct a study to find the answer to that question. The answer will surprise you.

The study focused on surviving possible astrophysical events such as asteroid hits, supernova explosions or gamma-ray bursts. Basically it’s all natural disasters they were studying and nothing quite as catastrophic as a nuclear war fallout.

The study which was published in Scientific Reports mentioned the tardigrade as the last survivor in case of these astrophysical events.  The tardigrade is an eight-legged micro-animal that can live without food or water for 30 years.

Also known as the water bear, this microscopic animal is able to endure temperature extremes of up to 150 degrees Celsius. Imagine surviving the deep sea and even the frozen vacuum of space. They live up to 60 years and at a size of 0.5 mm are best observed under a microscope.

Well this is once science study that does not bode too well for the future of homo sapiens in the event that a star bursts close by.