cryptobiosis

British  

/ ˌkrɪptəʊbaɪˈəʊsɪs /

noun

1. zoology a temporary state in an organism in which metabolic activity is absent or undetectable

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Example Sentences

Under extreme conditions, tardigrades may engage in cryptobiosis, a process in which they may become completely dehydrated and roll up into a little ball called a "tun."

From Salon

After all, the fundamental trick to cryptobiosis is a complete state of inactivity, which jokes about laziness aside is not physically possible for humans.

From Salon

The worms can enter a special state called “cryptobiosis”.

From NewsForKids.net

The roughly millimeter-long worms were able to resist extreme low temperatures by entering a dormant state called cryptobiosis, a process researchers at the institute have been trying to understand.

From New York Times

During the analyses, the researchers also looked for genes that the common C. elegans is known to use when a particular form of that worm, called the dauer larva, goes into the dormancy of cryptobiosis.

From Scientific American