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Concept

Cryptobiosis

A tardigrade curled into a protective state within a cracked, yellowish sphere, symbolizing cryptobiosis, a state where an organism's metabolism slows to near-stasis.

A reversible state in which an organism's metabolism slows below the limits of detection, indistinguishable by most measures from death. Tardigrades enter cryptobiosis by expelling water and curling into a barrel-shaped tun; rotifers, brine shrimp eggs, and certain nematodes use related tricks. The trigger is usually desiccation, freezing, or oxygen loss. Revival can take hours and, in some cases, decades after entry.

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