新奇事件簿 水熊可生存至太阳末日（在线收听）

A new study has revealed that a tiny, water-dwelling creature is likely to live until the end of the Earth. The near indestructible tardigrade, also known as water bear, looks like a short caterpillar with eight legs. It is just one-tenth of a millimeter in size but has the physiological makeup to be able to survive in any extreme conditions. The microscopic water bear can survive without food for three decades. It can also exist in bitterly freezing temperatures of -272 Celsius and in furnace-like temperatures of 150 C. Water bears can also survive the crushing pressure of deep oceans, the vacuum of outer space, nuclear war, global warming, or any other extreme meteorological event that would doom humans.

一项最新研究发现，一种微小的水上生物可能存活至地球末日。这种坚不可摧的缓步动物水熊虫看上去就像有八条腿的矮小的毛毛虫。水熊的体型只有0.1毫米，但是其生理结构使它可以在任何极端环境下生存。这种微小的水熊可以在没有食物的环境下生存三十年。还可以在零下272摄氏度的严寒和150度的酷暑中存活。水熊还能在深海高压，外太空的真空，核战争，全球变暖或任何会使人类灭亡的其他极端气象条件下存活。

Scientists say water bears are so hardy and resilient that the only thing that would wipe them out for good is if the Sun boils all the Earth's oceans away. The study says this is likely to happen in several billion years from now. The new study states that complex life is extremely difficult to destroy and could exist on other planets. A researcher said: "Tardigrades are as close to indestructible as it gets on Earth, but it is possible that there are other resilient species examples elsewhere in the Universe." He added: "There is a real case for looking for life on Mars and in other areas of the Solar System. If tardigrades are Earth's most resilient species, who knows what else is out there?"

科学家表示，水熊的适应力非常强，唯一能使它们消亡的是太阳把地球上所有海洋蒸发。研究表示，这种情况可能在几十亿年之后发生。新的研究显示，这种复杂的生命非常难以毁灭，可能在其他行星上存在。一名研究员表示：“缓步动物在地球上几乎是难以毁灭的，但是宇宙中其他地方可能存在其他适应力极强的物种。”他补充说：“这是在火星和太阳系其他地方寻找生命的良好案例。如果缓步动物是地球上最顽强的物种，谁知道其他地方有什么物种呢？”