Scientists have found a nearly indestructible moss that can survive on Mars

A nearly indestructible moss that can survive gamma-ray blasts and liquid nitrogen could be one of the keys to colonizing Mars, scientists have discovered. Moss, which can be found in some deserts here on Earth, has survived freezing conditions, dehydration and even enough radiation to kill human astronauts 1,000 times over, scientists report.

Known as Syntrichia caninervis to the scientific community, desert moss is found in harsh environments around our planet, including the Mojave Desert and Antarctica. That certainly sounds like two strange places to find the same plant. And yet, scientists have discovered the tough little moss that grows in those environments.

This has led some to question whether or not moss could help colonize Mars eventually, especially if it’s as brave as it seems. To determine this, some scientists began to look deeper into moss and its elasticity. The team collected moss from the Gurbantünggüt desert, which is located in northern China. From there, they dried it almost completely in the air to begin tests.

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This caused the moss to shrink and turn black. However, it returned to its original elastic green within just 20 seconds of rehydration, even after 99 percent dehydration. Further, it returned to full photosynthetic capacity within just two minutes.

From there, the scientists immersed the moss in liquid nitrogen at minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 196 Celsius) for 30 days. After it was removed, the moss was still able to recover and grow new branches, and they estimate it could survive for at least five years at minus 112 F (minus 80 C). This resilience makes it a prime candidate for use during the colonization of Mars, especially since it was able to survive up to 4,000 grays of ionizing radiation without any problems.

For some additional context, only 4 grays is considered a fatal dose of ionizing radiation for humans. So the fact that moss can survive 1000 times is absolutely amazing. The results of this study have been published in the journal INNOVATION. Considering some studies say it only takes 22 people to start a Mars colony; Perhaps adding in this moss could give those 22 people the solid foundation they need to succeed in the harsh environments of the Red Planet.