Could this moss survive and thrive on Mars? A Chinese study points to potential
- Researchers in China say a small desert plant that can be revived after years in freezing, dry conditions may become a pioneer species in space
According to a paper published by the peer-reviewed journal The Innovation on Monday, the moss quickly revived when it was rehydrated after losing nearly all its cell water or spending years in a freezer at -80 degrees Celsius (-112 Fahrenheit).
The addition of a small amount of water saw the moss bounce back to life “within seconds” and resume photosynthesis, turning carbon dioxide into the oxygen and carbohydrates essential to human survival on any planet, the researchers wrote.
“It represents a promising candidate as a colonist to facilitate terraforming on Mars … and help drive the atmospheric, geological, and ecological processes required for other higher plants and animals.”
The findings attracted the attention of astrobiologist Lin Wei from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics in Beijing, who described them as “very interesting and valuable”.
“With a series of scientific experiments, the team demonstrated that Syntrichia caninervis could survive for one week in a simulated Martian environment,” said Lin, who was not involved in the study.
The paper’s lead author, Li Xiaoshuang, a cell biologist from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, told the South China Morning Post that she had been studying the “magic” plant for two decades.
The desert moss was known for its outstanding resistance to drought and radiation, she said. “Most plants would die if they lost 30 per cent of their cell water. This one survives after complete dehydration.”
Li and her team spent a long time looking for drought-resistance genes in the moss, which they hoped would help other plants grow better in really dry environments – until they accidentally discovered that it also thrives under ice in winter.
“I got really curious and started putting it in freezers and then liquid nitrogen tanks,” Li said. “It really stood out as the only plant to have demonstrated such extraordinary resistance to different environmental stressors.”
The research established that the moss could regenerate under normal growth conditions after spending five years at -80 degrees Celsius (-112 Fahrenheit) and 30 days at -196 Celsius (-320.8 Fahrenheit).
Eventually, the researchers took some moss samples to a simulation cabin at the National Space Science Centre in Beijing to test their ability to endure Mars-like conditions.
The simulator was preset to an air composition of 95 per cent carbon dioxide, temperature range between -60 and 20 Celsius (-76 and 68 Fahrenheit), and radiation levels similar to those found on the surface of Mars.
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Li and her team found that the dried moss plants fully recovered within 30 days after exposure to Martian conditions for one, two, three, and seven days. Hydrated plants exposed to the simulator for one day also survived, but regenerated more slowly.
According to Li, the team has already planted the moss in a replica of the soil found on Mars. “It grew really well, and all it needed was water,” she said.
Next, Li and her team will be looking for opportunities to send moss samples into outer space for exposure experiments, or even to the surface of the moon or Mars.
“Mosses were the first embryophyte to leave the ocean and colonise land in Earth’s history. We are curious to see if colonisation could happen again on Mars,” she said.
