Chinese researchers Find outThat a desert moss called sphaerophyte will survive on Mars – The Guardian writesThey studied how mosses native to the Mojave Desert and Antarctica can withstand drought, frost and radiation to bring them closer to extraterrestrial gardening.
This would be an important step towards colonizing other planets, because plants produce oxygen from carbon dioxide and water, and last but not least, they can often be eaten. This is not true for this particular alga, but it could probably be used to produce oxygen, and it could also make the soil richer in nutrients for other beneficial plants.
Photo: Sherry Hagwood/USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database/Wikipedia
The researchers wrote that the moss not only survived the harsh conditions, but also recovered very quickly, even after almost complete drying out. When kept at -80 degrees for five years or -196 degrees for 30 days, it also recovered after returning to its natural conditions. Additionally, they were bombarded with 500 grays of gamma radiation, which not only worsened the moss’ condition, but also caused it to grow even faster.
The algae were then placed in an environment very similar to that on Mars. The plants took it well and recovered once they returned to their terrestrial conditions.
While the results are encouraging, experts point out that this is just the first step, and the Martian lettuce supply problem is not solved, and we are not yet ready to terraform Mars. For example, it is not just because the researchers used soil that is not like Mars when they stressed the plants and then transferred them to soft Earth sand, where the algae can recover from the ordeal.
