Several science fiction films have described life on Mars, but how can this idea be made a reality? China has found one of the keys to achieving this: desert moss.
According to China’s Global Television Network (CGTN), scientists from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography have discovered that Syntrichia caninervis can withstand conditions similar to those on Mars.
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Future colonization missions could deploy this plant to make the red planet greener. It could thus help make Mars habitable, allowing humans to live there.
How did scientists test desert moss?
According to the Guardian, Syntrichia caninervis is a moss native to Antarctica and the Mojave Desert. The Xinjiang researchers tested the desert moss’ adaptability to Mars-like conditions and published their findings on The Innovation.
They found that desert moss survived and recovered rapidly after near-total dehydration. In addition, it regenerated under normal growth conditions after exposure to gamma rays for up to 30 days at 196 °C (384.8 °F) and up to 30 days at -80 °C (-112 °F).
According to the Lunar and Planetary Institute, the Red Planet’s atmosphere is not enough to block gamma rays. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that they pose a serious danger to humans.
The research team also developed a simulation that replicated Mars-like temperatures, gases and other conditions. After seven days of exposure, the desert moss thrived.
Chinese scientists also tested dried samples of Syntrichia caninervis, and they got better results than ordinary samples.
“The unique knowledge obtained in our study lays the foundation for colonizing outer space using naturally selected plants adapted to extreme stress conditions,” they write in their paper.
“In the future, we hope that this promising moss could be brought to Mars or the Moon to further test the possibility of colonization and plant growth in space,” they added.
Growing plants on Mars is an important step for human colonization because they could provide the oxygen people need to live there. In addition, they could also serve as a food source.
However, University of Florida moss expert Professor Stuart McDaniel says Syntrichia caninervis has not been proven to generate oxygen on Mars.
SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute researcher Dr Agata Zupanska admitted that the Chinese research was promising. However, “it is a stretch to suggest that moss, or any other pioneer species, is ready to terraform Mars or any other outer planet.”
