The eternal winter had arrived. Snow covered everything and created a blindingly white world. Ice encased plants and animals. Frozen monuments, a reminder of a dead world.
Humans had been gone for centuries now. Their greed, their destruction of resources, their destruction of nature itself had caused a global collapse. A nuclear war had triggered a series of unexpected volcano eruptions and the ash had blackened the sky.
Sunlight was rare these days and usually only consisted of a few isolated rays before the dark clouds of ash drowned it out again. Without sunlight and without humanity’s industry to heat the atmosphere, the earth had cooled and frozen over.
Most animals had died alongside the humans, they hadn’t been able to tolerate the freezing temperatures. Most animals, but not all.
A handful of fish, insects, frogs, bacteria and, of course, the all famous water bear had been able to survive. At least for a while.
The secret to surviving this kind of temperatures had been known to nature for quite some time. Water needed to be prevented from forming ice crystals, as those would disrupt cell walls and effectively shred the organism. Many species invented their own antifreeze, usually some kind of proteins. They flooded their system with it and thus prevented their own death.
But for most animals, that was not a permanent solution. The frogs were frozen solid for some weeks but then, they couldn’t keep producing their antifreeze and died.
The fish, being adapted to the arctic waters, lasted a little bit longer. But they soon ran out of food, when the plants died because of the missing sunlight.
The thousands of insects that had used their survival techniques usually applied in winter had to realize that they weren’t adapted to a winter that lasted this long. Most of them never woke up
The tardigrades, the tiny water bears, known for being able to survive everything, completely dehydrated themselves to prevent ice from destroying their bodies. They fell into an eternal slumber, prepared to awake again when the weather would be warmer.
They were still sleeping.
Deep, very deep in the oceans, huddled around underwater volcanos, were the last survivors of the apocalypse. The earth’s core itself kept them warm. Tiny organisms, most of them were extremophilic bacteria. They were the last life left on earth.
And they were waiting. Waiting for the conditions to become better. Waiting for the circumstances that would lead to them re-populating the earth.
It might take billions of years, but they were patient. After all, they would become the next dominant species on earth.
Sources:
Animal ice-binding (antifreeze) proteins and glycolipids
When Built-In Antifreeze Beats a Winter Coat
When Your Veins fill with Ice
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Picture taken from pixabay.com
makes you think
Awesome story! Have you heard of biomimicry?
Mimicry yes, but biomimicry? Care to elaborate? :)
A perfect shooting method, make the target look beautiful and amazing.You are like a professional photographer, A pride to see your work, happy to feel it if you want to teach me. I will definitely maximize the knowledge you give, thank you. @suesa
You read that the picture was taken from pixabay.com, right?
This post is tardi-grade tough lol
Those little babies looks so cute, and they got 8 limbs~
I got a t-shirt with one printed on. Love them so much!
Oh really?? i so want to see one in real under the microscope and also see the t-shirt!!
omg thats so cute XD
That is so freaking adorable.
winter has come :)
really great fiction story ;)
and as I biologist myself it is especially great to see this well thought-out story :)
Wonderful writing as usual, with a nice post apocalyptic edge. I absolutely love your posts. I want to see a world with giant tardigrades stomping around like dinosaurs. Actually that sounds sort of horrifying. But in a really cute way.
Horrifyingly cute!
This makes me recall another interesting "creature" to me, called brine shrimp. It had been famous some years ago in HK and their egg could survive in the absent of water for years. They will only born when you re-subject it to brine
I'd much prefer not waking up over the fate of the wood frog dying a slow, painful frozen death over a few weeks...or the fish that starves to death after having to deal with extreme temperatures. Well, I fear ice now. At least I learned about the epic creature that is the Tardigrade, so some consolation :D
Yep, even the bees would not cope with this. They work together when they are in the hive, sitting in and around the combs. They heat eachother by flexing their muscles. The outer ones get cold and try to go to the warmer spot in the middle. This circular motion keeps them alive. The flexing muscles need energy: that is the honey in the comb that they collected all summer.
smart organisms who have an instinct to work together!
I'm not saying that what happens is a natural phenomenon or that winter has come.
But to my knowledge, every animal and other living things that live in the area is certainly able to adaptation.
Adaptation is the primary key of every living being in demand and must be adapted.
The goal is to be able to preserve species and descendants.
Adaptation there are several kinds of one of them adjustment to the place.
Adjustment of the body shape of living things and the behavior of living things.
Thus, when the winter comes, the living things are not a threat to them.
Interesting post, thanks for sharing.
Understanding the article that you write it, whether it concerns the civilization of the world?
Or is it a sign of doomsday?
When i read your post, i am a little sad, and i kneel. I am contemplating how if nature is true as you tell it. I do not think about where I am going, but I remember how all the living things that exist in nature when it really happens.
I will pray that the snow season will not last much longer and not repeat as you mentioned.
Good story, I follow your post. thanks.