SCIENTISTS TATTOOED TARDIGRADES — AND THEY DIDN’T COMPLAIN

Looks like the tattoo world has new clients — and they’re smaller than a grain of sand. Tardigrades, aka water bears, just got their first micro-ink jobs. And honestly? They’re handling it better than most humans.

What’s a Tardigrade and Why Should You Care?

If you haven’t met these wrinkly little legends, allow us to introduce the ultimate survivors. Tardigrades are eight-legged micro-critters that can survive in boiling water, deep space, nuclear blasts, and probably your last breakup. Cold? Radiation? Hangovers? Nothing scares them.

So… Tattoos?

Some scientists in the U.S. clearly had one of those “Wait, what if…” moments and decided to tattoo these unbreakable beasts. Enter ice lithography — not a cocktail recipe, but a cutting-edge tech process.

Here’s the short version:
• Dehydrate the tardigrade into cryptobiosis (aka power nap of the undead)
• Chill it on a frosty carbon sheet
• Add a layer of anisole (yep, smells like licorice)
• Zap it with an electron beam that draws on the frozen coating
• Let the ice sublimate and — voilà — a microscopic tattoo appears!

The Result?

About 40% of the inked tardigrades survived — which, if we’re being honest, is a better rate than some amateur tattoo sessions. Most importantly, they didn’t seem to care. No stress, no side effects, just a neat little design on their back: dots, lines, even a university logo. That’s right — we now have branded tardigrades.

But Why?

Sure, it’s adorable in a geeky way, but this is serious biotech. The ability to “tattoo” living tissue at a nanoscale could revolutionize biosensors, medical implants, and even give rise to microbial cyborgs. For now, we’re just dreaming of glow-in-the-dark tattoos for gut bacteria.

Expert Opinion

One of the creators of ice lithography (who didn’t take part in the experiment) said:

“It used to be science fiction — now it’s real.”

So don’t be surprised if your next fitness tracker comes embedded in your skin.

While humans are still arguing over where to put their first tattoo and how not to regret it, tardigrades are already moving on — drama-free. Micro-ink is officially in the game.

Source: Nano Letters, 2025
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c00378
Based on: phys.org/news/2025-04-scientists-tattoo-tardigrades.html

P.S. Would you trust a tattoo done by an electron beam?