Syntrichia caninervis is what scientists call a desert moss. They have known for some time that it is able to tolerate extreme conditions of droughtdrought. But researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences are now going a little further. They tell us that Syntrichia caninervis can also survive temperatures down to -196°C and high levels of gamma radiation. « Et » and not « or ». Either under conditions such as can exist on the soil of Mars.
Temperatures and radiation, this foam resists everything
To test the cold tolerance of the moussemoussethe researchers report in the journal The Innovation that they stored the plants in an ultra-cold freezer at −80 °C for 3 and 5 years and in a liquid nitrogen tank at −196 °C for 15 and 30 days. In all cases, the plants regenerated when they were thawed.
Syntrichia caninervis has also demonstrated the ability to survive exposure to gamma radiation that would kill most plants. Doses of 500 graysgrays (Gy) even seemed to promote plant growth. Remember that humans suffer serious convulsionsconvulsions and die when exposed to just 50 Gy.
Finally, the researchers tested the foams in a simulated Martian environment: air composed of 95% CO2temperatures ranging from −60 to 20°C, high levels of radiation UVUV and a weak atmospheric pressureatmospheric pressure. And 100% of the plants regenerated within 30 days after being subjected to these conditions for 1 to 7 days. The researchers note that a dehydrationdehydration prior helps the mosses to regenerate more quickly.
Will this foam help humanity colonize Mars?
By the researchers’ own admission, there is still a long way to go to imagine self-sufficient habitats on other planets. They hope that Syntrichia caninervis could be taken to Mars or the Moon to further test the possibility of colonization and plant growth in space.
