Scientists have just sequenced the genome of a fly native to Antarctica, the coldest, driest and windiest place on the planet, a finding that may lead to a wider understanding of how these bugs evolved to cope with the environment.

The fly, named Belgica antarctica, is a survivor, or as Washington State University evolutionary biologist Joanna Kelley likes to put it…an extremophile.

“This fly has to withstand freezing, extreme temperature changes so in the Antarctic summer it’s on the rocks and those are getting quite hot,” Kelley said. “But imagine the Antarctic winter, it’s very dark and cold. There’s a lot of UV [ultraviolet] radiation. There’s dehydration.  And anything you can imagine as an extreme pressure, this fly probably encounters it.”

Continue reading the Voice of America story to learn more about how the surprisingly small DNA footprint of this polar insect may help it survive. (Audio also available.)

Kelley’s research was also featured on BBC Nature News, International Business Times, News Tonight Africa, Tech Times, Nature World News, WSU News, and many other online news outlets.