Scientists achieve the impossible: this is the plant that survives on the surface of Mars and revolutionizes everything
A new study has shown how plants can live on the surface of Mars.
The red dust blows around thanks to the light wind that the 1%-Earth density atmosphere does little to stop, and Olympus Mons, the Solar System’s largest mountain, comes into view. Once the sun - which is blasting cosmic rays and solar radiation down thanks to the lack of a magnetic field - goes down, temperatures will crash to -80ºF.
Mars is a pretty hostile place to be, but for the first time, scientists have demonstrated that certain plant species can endure such conditions—including ionising radiation—while staying alive.
A new study, published in IMA Fungus, reveals that lichens not only survive but also function in environments similar to those on the red planet. Such a discovery flies in the face of previously-held beliefs that Mars was completely uninhabitable and provides valuable insights for astrobiology and future space missions.
Lichens aren’t just one organism—they’re a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and algae and/or cyanobacteria and are famous for their ability to thrive in extreme environments, such as Earth’s polar regions.
The aforementioned study, carried out by a team of biologists from Jagiellonian University in Poland and the Polish Academy of Sciences showed that the fungal part of the lichen, Diploschistes muscorum and Cetraria aculeata stayed metabolically active even under Mars-like atmospheric conditions, in complete darkness, and while exposed to X-ray radiation levels similar to what’s expected during a year of intense solar activity on Mars. They were pressurised, cooled, humidified, blasted with UV rays, X-rays... and they survived.
Kaja Skubala, the main author of the study, said that “these findings expand our understanding of biological processes under simulated Martian conditions and reveal how hydrated organisms respond to ionising radiation – one of the most critical challenges for survival and habitability on Mars. Ultimately, this research deepens our knowledge of lichen adaptation and their potential for colonizing extraterrestrial environments."
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