An unassuming lichen harbors a hidden superpower: It’s remarkably resistant to ultraviolet radiation. New experiments on the hardy organism call into question the long-held belief that alien planets bathed in ultraviolet light must be sterile worlds, researchers report June 12 in Astrobiology. The discovery may open up more options in the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered to date, but many of them orbit a type of small, highly active star apt to send off blasts of energetic particles and radiation. And unlike our planet, those worlds likely don’t have ozone in their atmospheres. Ozone is formed from compounds produced by photosynthesis,