Syntrichia caninervis: Are humble desert mosses the ‘green’ plants of Mars? [βίντεο]

A great scientific discovery could be the beginning of this effort. To the “green” appeared the planet Mars.

Scientists have discovered that a tiny desert moss can survive freezing, drought and radiation that would kill a human 1,000 times more.

This moss, called Syntrichia caninervis, lives in harsh environments all over the planet, from the Mojave Desert to Antarctica.

Now, a new study has found that it can survive in even worse conditions. When exposed for a week to an environment like the surface of Mars, researchers found that the hardy algae could recover.

Their survival abilities may exceed those of tardigrades, tiny “water bears” that can live in the vacuum of space.

The researchers said the moss handles heat better and can withstand higher doses of radiation than tardigrades, after subjecting the tiny algae to multiple tests that should be lethal.

Our study shows that the ecological resilience of S. caninervis outperforms some other species. [τους] “The microorganisms are highly stress-resistant and slow-moving,” study researchers Daoyuan Zhang, Yuanming Zhang and Tingyun Kuang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) wrote in a statement.

The researchers published their findings on July 1 in the journal The Innovation.

The team collected moss from the Gurbantünggüt Desert in northern China. They first subjected moss samples to almost complete air drying.

Although the dried moss wilted and turned black, it returned to its full spring green color within 20 seconds of rehydration.

The scientists found that after being 99 percent dehydrated and then rehydrated, the moss returned to full photosynthetic capacity within two minutes.

The moss also showed remarkable resistance to cold: after 30 days of immersion in liquid nitrogen at 320 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 196 degrees Celsius), the moss was able to recover and grow new branches.

It can also survive for at least five years at temperatures of -112 degrees Celsius.

Although algae recover faster if dried before freezing, it can also survive these conditions if frozen without drying first.

Finally, the researchers hit the moss with massive amounts of gamma radiation. They found that the moss could survive up to 4,000 grays of ionizing radiation without much problem.

For comparison, 4 gray is considered a lethal dose of ionizing radiation for a human. (A dose of ionizing radiation is considered lethal when it kills half of those exposed to it.)

For S. caninervis, the lethal dose is 5,000 grays. Even a strong tardigrade exceeds 4,200 grays, the authors wrote.

Algae can also take hits from multiple stressors at once.

The researchers placed the samples in CAS’s Planetary Atmosphere Simulation Facility, which simulates the Martian atmosphere in terms of surface pressure, temperature, gas composition and radiation.

After seven days in this environment – mostly carbon dioxide, with temperature fluctuations ranging from minus 60 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius and dangerous levels of radiation – the moss continued to recover and grow new branches after 15 days in conditions resembling those of Earth.

The findings suggest that moss could be used in efforts to reshape Mars by introducing plants that can survive its harsh environment and create an Earth-like surface and atmosphere, the researchers wrote.

source: livescience.com

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