On This DayOn This Day · 6 Oct 2026
Tiny tardigrade hitchhiker also clings to mites
A tiny single-celled organism rides around the world on tardigrades and also clings to mites and even specks of dirt. For almost sixty years, the hitchhiker was considered a rarity. Researchers have now reported 49 new locations, from Britain through Canada and Australia to Antarctica.
CheckedSource: Less picky and more widespread than expected: new records and insights into the biology of Propyxidium tardigradum , an epibiotic ciliate (Ciliophora: Peritrichida: Operculariidae)