Honorable Mention: Space Bear Eating

Photo by Hunter Hines, Ph.D., visiting researcher, FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

Taridgrades, known as water bears, are famously tough micro animals less than 1 mm in size. NASA sent cultures of these animals to the International Space Station for experiments in 2021, and this bear was from that same culture. Here it can be seen happily feeding on algae, with two big eggs inside it, and a skin molt above. Studies looking at how these microbes respond to stress in space, and under pressure below the sea are being conducted, as Tardigrade survival abilities may hold the key to advancing human health and exploration on this planet and beyond. Magnified 200 times using phase contrast microscopy.