Scientists find desert moss 'that can survive on Mars'
Scientists in China found desert moss, Syntrichia caninervis, resilient to Mars-like conditions. The moss could aid in transforming Martian soil for plant growth, potentially supporting future colonization efforts. Further research on its reproduction is required.
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Scientists in China have discovered a desert moss, Syntrichia caninervis, capable of surviving Mars-like conditions, including drought, radiation, and extreme cold. This finding could be crucial for establishing life on the red planet. The research focuses on the potential for growing plants on Mars' surface rather than in greenhouses, with implications for outer space colonization. While the moss is not edible, it could play a vital role in transforming Martian soil to enable other plants to grow. The study, published in The Innovation journal, demonstrates the moss's resilience to Mars-like environments, including exposure to radiation and extreme temperatures. However, experts caution that further research is needed to determine the moss's ability to reproduce and proliferate under Martian conditions. Despite limitations and challenges, the extremotolerant moss shows promise as a pioneer plant for potential Mars colonization efforts, offering hope for making parts of the planet habitable for humans in the future.
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10 commentsThe biggest obstacle is probably how scarce water is on Mars. Like this desert moss might survive for a while but without water it won't be able to reproduce and spread. The team in the link above is considering genetically engineering an organism to absorb water from the atmosphere but even then it is just trace amounts.
Life requires water to survive and grow, doesn't seem like you can have a living organism terraform Mars for you unless you've introduced a ton of water through other means.
Is something that lives at +30C to -80C on Martian chemistry impossible?
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