Moss survived nine months in space and was able to continue growing on Earth.

Research by scientists from Hokkaido University (Japan) has shown that moss exposed to the harsh space environment for nine months was able to survive and continue to grow after returning to Earth. This discovery shows that life that evolved on Earth has survival mechanisms even in the extreme conditions of space. This was announced on November 22 by the Space publication.

"Most living organisms, including humans, are unable to survive even briefly in the vacuum of space. However, the moss spores retained their viability after nine months of direct exposure. This is convincing evidence that life that has evolved on Earth has internal mechanisms at the cellular level that allow it to withstand the conditions of space," said Tomomichi Fujita, lead author of the study.

For the study, the scientists chose a "spreading earth moss", its sporophytes were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Cygnus mission. They were fixed on the outside of the station for 283 days. When the plant returned to Earth nine months later, the scientists found that more than 80% of the sporophytes survived, and 89% were able to germinate. Although space exposure reduced chlorophyll levels by 20%, they remained healthy.

According to the publication, ultraviolet radiation turned out to be the strongest stressor for moss, but sporophytes coped with it much better compared to young individuals and stem cells of the plant. The research team was amazed by the results obtained during the experiment.

"We expected almost zero survival, but the result was the opposite: most of the spores survived. We were truly amazed by the extraordinary vitality of these tiny plant cells," added Fujita.

The research may have implications for future voyages beyond Earth. Fujita noted that this experience could open up new possibilities for creating ecosystems on the Moon and Mars, which could form the basis for future research.

Mouse training: Bion-M No. 2 will help create medicines and find the source of life

What scientific experiments are planned for the flight of a Russian satellite with animals and insects on board

Earlier, on August 20, a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with the Bion-M biological satellite No. 2 launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which delivered plants and microorganisms into orbit. A few days later, on August 22, the Roscosmos state corporation shared footage from the boxes with 75 mice and 1.5 thousand fruit flies. It was clarified that the scientists were going to investigate the effect of a weakened magnetic field over the poles of the Earth.

A month later, on September 19, Bion-M No. 2 landed with mice and flies in the steppes of the Orenburg region. Later it became known that out of 75 mice, 10 died.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.