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Moss Spores Survive 9 Months In Space Before Successfully Reproducing Back On Earth
Over 80% of moss spores survived 283 days outside the ISS and remained capable of germination, showing potential for extraterrestrial ecosystem development, researchers said.
- On Friday, most Physcomitrium patens spores germinated and reproduced after about nine months outside Japan's Kibo experimental module on the ISS, exposed for 283 days before return to Earth.
- To test reproductive tolerance, researchers exposed spores and sporophytes of Physcomitrium patens to extreme UV and-196°C, probing resilience for off-world ecosystems and life-support research.
- Analyses revealed more than 80% spores survived and roughly 89% germinated in laboratory germination assays; sporophytes showed ~1,000x greater UV tolerance and chlorophyll a fell 20% without harm.
- Published in iScience, the research team reported P. patens spores as the first early land plants documented to survive long-term direct space exposure.
- Modeling suggests spores could survive up to 15 years, but `Future studies with longer-duration space exposure missions will be necessary to determine the true upper limits of spore viability under real space conditions`, Professor Fujita said, and `Although the external ISS environment is harsh, it does not fully represent the complexities of true deep space conditions`, Dr Zupanska said.
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'We were genuinely astonished': This moss survived 9 months outside the International Space Station and could still grow on Earth
Moss spores survived for nine months on the exterior of the International Space Station, showcasing an "astonishing" hardiness that could one day help humanity settle worlds beyond Earth.
·United States
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The moss spores stood up to the extreme conditions and increased after their return to Earth. This could have a benefit for future all-missions
·Vienna, Austria
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There are living things that can withstand exceptionally harsh conditions. Now it turns out that the beautifully named bryophyte (Physcomitrium patens) can survive for months in outer space.
·Estonia
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Leaning Left13Leaning Right4Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution44% Left, 43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources are Center
44% Left
L 44%
C 43%
13%
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