--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When provoked, the itsy-bitsy…" description: "\"When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known as tardigrades can suspend their metabolism. In that state, they can survive temperatures of... 73 K ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_astronaut_when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrat_2070963.jpg" --- # When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known as… ![“When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known as tardigrades can suspend their metabolism. In that state, they can survive temperatures of... 73 K for days on end, making them hardy enough to endure being stranded on Neptune. So the next time you need space travelers with the right stuff, you…” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_astronaut_when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrat_2070963.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_astronaut_when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrat_2070963.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_astronaut_when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrat_2070963.jpg) > “When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known as tardigrades can suspend their metabolism. In that state, they can survive temperatures of... 73 K for days on end, making them hardy enough to endure being stranded on Neptune. So the next time you need space travelers with the right stuff, you might want to choose yeast and tardigrades, and leave your astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts at home.” [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tardigrades can halt metabolism, survive extreme cold, suggesting microbes could endure space travel better than humans. **In simple terms:** Microbes survive extreme conditions; humans may not. Key Takeaway Consider using resilient organisms for space missions. Themes science space exploration biology resilience Mood curious inquisitive Type scientific informative When to use this quote - spacecraft design - planetary protection - research on microbial endurance Key Concepts extremophiles metabolic suspension astrobiology Questions to Reflect On - What are the risks of sending microbes to other planets? - How can we balance human and microbial roles in exploration? A Different Perspective Human physiology limits space travel; ethical concerns about using organisms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Exploration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploration/) [Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardy/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Invertebrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invertebrates/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Known Tardigrades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-tardigrades-3997548/) [Metabolism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metabolism/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Neptune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neptune/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) [Provoked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoked/) [Right stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-stuff/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space exploration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-exploration/) [Space travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-travel/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Stranded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranded/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Tardigrades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tardigrades-3997549/) [Tardigrades Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tardigrades-leave-3997547/) [Tardigrades Suspend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tardigrades-suspend-3997545/) [Temperature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperature/) [Traveler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traveler/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Yeast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yeast/) [Yeast Tardigrades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yeast-tardigrades-3997546/) ## Related quotes > [There is the life of the plankton in almost endless variety; there are the many kinds of fish, both surface and bottom living; there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-hardy/there-is-the-life-of-the-plankton-in-almost-endless-variety-there-are/) [Alister Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-hardy/) > [The simple life which blandly ignores all care and conflict, soon becomes flabby and invertebrate, sentimental and gelatinous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/the-simple-life-which-blandly-ignores-all-care-and-conflict-soon/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [Advocates for a single line of progress encounter their greatest stumbling block when they try to find a smooth link between the apparently disparate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/advocates-for-a-single-line-of-progress-encounter-their-greatest/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The facts of paleontology seem to support creation and the flood rather than evolution. For instance, all the major groups of invertebrates appear "suddenly"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch/the-facts-of-paleontology-seem-to-support-creation-and-the-flood/) [Enoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch/) > [If we and the rest of the back-boned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/if-we-and-the-rest-of-the-back-boned-animals-were-to-disappear/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [We are part of nature, a product of a long evolutionary journey. To some degree, we carry the ancient oceans in our blood. ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/we-are-part-of-nature-a-product-of-a-long-evolutionary-journey-to/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [Art without technique is invertebrate, shapeless, characterless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignacy-jan-paderewski/art-without-technique-is-invertebrate-shapeless-characterless/) [Ignacy Jan Paderewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignacy-jan-paderewski/) > [Curse the blasted, jelly-boned swines, the slimy, the belly-wriggling invertebrates, the miserable soddingrotters, the flaming sods, the sniveling, dribbling, dithering, palsied, pulse-less lot that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/curse-the-blasted-jelly-boned-swines-the-slimy-the-belly-wriggling/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [We don't even know what species are out there, for the most part, particularly when you get down to the microbes and very small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-don-t-even-know-what-species-are-out-there-for-the-most-part/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [I can no more explain why I like "natural history" than why I like California canned peaches; nor why I do not care for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-can-no-more-explain-why-i-like-natural-history-than-why-i-like/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [When you get into the whole field of exploring, probably 90 percent of the kinds of organisms, plants, animals and especially microorganisms and tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-you-get-into-the-whole-field-of-exploring-probably-90-percent-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Is boneless chicken considered to be an invertebrate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/is-boneless-chicken-considered-to-be-an-invertebrate/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) ## More by Neil deGrasse Tyson > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The Pacific is the best toilet for satellites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-pacific-is-the-best-toilet-for-satellites/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If you seek only easy problems to solve, then ultimately, there'll be nothing about you to distinguish yourself from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-seek-only-easy-problems-to-solve-then-ultimately-there-ll-be/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-caricature-of-science-is-that-we-hold-tight-to-the-theories-we/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The idea that God resides in the unknown is what philosophers call the God of the gaps. And we have this thing called science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-idea-that-god-resides-in-the-unknown-is-what-philosophers-call/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Everybody's got money for vacation time. Look at how much we all spend just to get - well, I get sick on the loop-the-loop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/everybody-s-got-money-for-vacation-time-look-at-how-much-we-all-spend/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) [Explore all 1,143 Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More Astronaut quotes > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I think the astronaut job is the best job in the world. I realized when I was older and started applying for it that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-massimino/i-think-the-astronaut-job-is-the-best-job-in-the-world-i-realized/) [Michael J. Massimino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-massimino/) > [NASA is developing space taxis to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station. And just like New York taxis, they're all going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/nasa-is-developing-space-taxis-to-shuttle-astronauts-to-the/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [I stayed in the astronaut program until 1993. People ask me why I left. I thought I had a lot of things to contribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-stayed-in-the-astronaut-program-until-1993-people-ask-me-why-i-left/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“Sometimes when people find out I’m an astronaut, they ask, “So what do you do when you’re not flying in space?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/sometimes-when-people-find-out-i-m-an-astronaut-they-ask-so-what-do/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [Rugby has surprisingly helped me a lot as an astronaut and when I'm training in the space suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mcclain/rugby-has-surprisingly-helped-me-a-lot-as-an-astronaut-and-when-i-m/) [Anne McClain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mcclain/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [My optimism and confidence come not from feeling I'm luckier than other mortals, and they sure don't come from visualizing victory. They're the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/my-optimism-and-confidence-come-not-from-feeling-i-m-luckier-than/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [“My experiences in the Astronaut Corps had taught me that you never know what will happen from day to day. It’s best to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-melvin/my-experiences-in-the-astronaut-corps-had-taught-me-that-you-never/) [Leland Melvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-melvin/) > [As a kid, I knew I wanted to be either a cartoonist or an astronaut. The latter was never much of a possibility, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/as-a-kid-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-either-a-cartoonist-or-an-astronaut/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [I think it's good to have competition. Now we have a third country that can launch astronauts, so it's good for all of us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-chiao/i-think-it-s-good-to-have-competition-now-we-have-a-third-country/) [Leroy Chiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-chiao/) > [I was told when I grew up I could be anything I wanted: a fireman, a policeman, a doctor – even President, it seemed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-was-told-when-i-grew-up-i-could-be-anything-i-wanted-a-fireman-a/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [The Earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone, our home that must be defended like a holy relic. The Earth was absolutely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-leonov/the-earth-was-small-light-blue-and-so-touchingly-alone-our-home-that/) [Alexey Leonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-leonov/) > [“Whilst my mother couldn't give me access to the world, she at least made sure to let me know it existed. A kid cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/whilst-my-mother-couldn-t-give-me-access-to-the-world-she-at-least/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) [Browse all 463 Astronaut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known as tardigrades can suspend their metabolism. In that state, they can survive temperatures of... 73 K for days on end, making them hardy enough to endure being stranded on Neptune. So the next time you need space travelers with the right stuff, you might want to choose yeast and tardigrades, and leave your astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts at home.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil deGrasse Tyson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrates-known-as-tardigrades-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronaut" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrates-known-as-tardigrades-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_astronaut_when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrat_2070963.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_astronaut_when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrat_2070963.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_astronaut_when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrat_2070963.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known as tardigrades can suspend their metabolism. In that…” — Neil deGrasse Tyson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Neil deGrasse Tyson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrates-known-as-tardigrades-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/when-provoked-the-itsy-bitsy-invertebrates-known-as-tardigrades-can/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```