Matt Damon grew potatoes to survive in The Martian, but researchers say mosses will one day help turn the dust and rocks of other planets into fertile soil.
Patent for Fiscomitrellaor scattering earthen moss, is already known as an innovative species – albeit as the first plant to appear in areas with barren mud. Now researchers have discovered that moss spores can survive for at least nine months while remaining outside the International Space The station (ISS) is still multiplying, having returned to Earth.
Although the plant is inedible, the researchers say the findings could be important for space exploration.
Dr Tomomichi Fujita, lead author of the study from Hokkaido University in Japan, said: “Although moss may not be on the menu, its resilience provides insight into the development of sustainable life support systems in space. Mosses could help produce oxygen, control moisture or even form soil.”
This isn't the first time researchers have highlighted moss's remarkable survival abilities or sent such species to the ISS. Really, Such plants are known to tolerate many extreme conditions on Earth, and scientists have discovered that desert moss species Syntrichia canine Maybe withstand Martian conditions in experiments on Earth.
I am writing to iScience magazineFujita and his colleagues describe how they exposed three different moss structures to a simulated space environment on Earth. They found that moss spores enclosed in a structure known as a sporangium were the most resilient and able to germinate after exposure to UV radiation levels exceeding 100,000 joules per square meter.
Further testing showed that these coated spores are also resistant to vacuum conditions, deep freezing, high temperatures and radiation in a vacuum.
The researchers then sent the encased spores to the ISS aboard the Cygnus NG-17 spacecraft. They were attached to the outside of the ISS in sample holders with different filter settings and left for nine months.
After the samples were returned to Earth, the researchers found that they all showed high germination rates, noting that even those that were fully exposed to UV radiation in space had an 86% germination rate—compared to a 97% germination rate for the spores that remained on Earth. However, a certain type of chlorophyll in the space-exposed samples showed signs of degradation.
“If such spores can withstand long-term exposure during interplanetary travel and then successfully revive after rehydration and warming, they could one day contribute to the establishment of major ecosystems beyond Earth,” Fujita said.
He noted that the research is focused only on survival in outer space. “Whether moss can germinate and grow in different extraterrestrial conditions, including different levels of gravity, atmospheric composition and radiation levels, remains an open question,” Fujita said.
Dr Agata Zupanska from the Seti Institute, who was not involved in the work, welcomed the research but said it was already known that dormant, dried biological forms, such as spores or seeds, exhibit significantly greater resistance to environmental extremes than hydrated cells or tissues. According to her, similar experiments on the effects on seeds, including seeds of space crops, have already been carried out outside the ISS.
Zupanska also emphasized that the external environment of the ISS, although harsh, does not fully reflect the complexities of real-life deep space conditions, including on the Moon or Mars.
“The value of space plants will only be realized if they can actively grow and thrive away from Earth,” she said. “While spore persistence is important, it represents only the first step toward the broader goals of growing plants in extraterrestrial environments.”
