A new study shows that a microscopic water creature could live until the end of the Earth. The tiny tardigrade, also known as water bear, looks like an eight-legged caterpillar. It is one-tenth of a millimeter long but has the body to survive in any extreme conditions. It can survive without food for decades, exist in freezing temperatures of -272º Celsius and boiling temperatures of 150ºC. Water bears can also survive the pressure of deep oceans, the vacuum of outer space, nuclear war, global warming, or any other extreme event that would doom humans.

Scientists say water bears are so tough that the only thing that would wipe them out is if the Sun boils all the Earth's oceans. The study says this will happen in several billion years. The new study states that complex life is very difficult to destroy and could exist on other planets. A researcher said water bears are almost indestructible and because of that, it is possible that there are other tough creatures elsewhere in the Universe. He said there was, "a real case for looking for life on Mars and in other areas of the Solar System". He suggested there could be life "out there".