"From deep-sea hydrothermal vents to freezing glaciers, there are plenty of harsh environments on Earth. But they're nothing compared with outer space. There are, however, a growing list of species, such as tardigrades and certain flowering plants, that can survive in that cold vacuum. The most recent addition is a type of moss, scientists at Hokkaido University in Japan and their colleagues recently reported in iScience.The fact that another major group of terrestrial life can survive in space, as far as physical findings, is cool, says University of Florida space biology expert Robert Ferl, who was not involved in the study. Terrestrial life may not be limited to the Earth."
"Space is a tough place to survive. It lacks air and has extreme amounts of ultraviolet radiation that can damage DNA. And its temperatures range from freezing to extreme heat. But mosses are resilient. They were one of the first plants to adapt to land when such life started transitioning out of the water about 500 million years ago."
Physcomitrium patens, a moss species, survives exposure to outer space and joins tardigrades and certain flowering plants among terrestrial survivors. Mature sporophytes were individually collected and used as samples on the International Space Station exposure facility for direct space exposure. Space presents vacuum, intense ultraviolet radiation that can damage DNA, and temperatures ranging from freezing to extreme heat. Mosses display notable resilience and were among the first plants to colonize land roughly 500 million years ago, providing adaptations that help them endure harsh conditions. Scientists at Hokkaido University studied P. patens from temperate, water-adjacent habitats to assess survival after space exposure.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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