The first plant that might aid in the colonization of Mars, according to recent research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is Syntrichia caninervis, a moss that lives in deserts.
Moss, which grows in dry places like Antarctica and Tibet, is able to withstand environments that would be fatal to other plants. Not even humble lichens and related species can withstand the harsh conditions of Mars’s surface, which include extreme cold, extreme dryness, and intense solar radiation.
Mars and Earth are more similar than one would think; for example, they both have seasons, are located in the Goldilocks Zone, and have days that are about 24 hours long.
Earlier this month, in the journal The Innovation, researchers determined that Mars’ harsh environmental conditions might be manageable for some Earth-dwelling “extremotolerant” plants. Syntrichia caninervis is one such plant that has made it through extreme conditions, such as subzero temperatures and strong radiation levels. For human settlements on Mars, the Moon, and maybe even further afield, this moss might be an essential “pioneer” plant.
Syntrichia caninervis completely revived after being kept in an ultra-cold freezer at -80 degrees Celsius for three to five years and then for a whole month in a tank of liquid nitrogen. Along with Mars-like settings, the scientists exposed the plant to conditions such as a 95 percent CO2 atmosphere, temperatures between -60 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius, high amounts of ultraviolet light, and low air pressure.
Among S. caninervis’s remarkable abilities, its resistance to gamma radiation stands out. Mars takes in 5,000 rads (radiation absorbed doses) more radiation than Earth does—roughly 40 to 50 times more. Not only is this super moss able to endure ten times the quantity of grays, but it also exhibits symptoms of increased growth when exposed to such intense radiation.
This increased growth, which was observed in the form of faster and more robust sprouting, suggests that the moss may actually thrive in such conditions. Because of its incredible hardiness, S. caninervis may prove to be an essential asset for any human settlements on other celestial bodies in the future.
