In an extraordinary display of biological resilience, moss spores survived for nine months outside the International Space Station. The spores were then returned to Earth, where 86 percent germinated and began to grow, researchers report November 20 in iScience.
When asked what he thought when he saw that so many spores survived, biologist Tomomichi Fujita responded with one word: “Beautiful.”
The research adds spores of Physcomitrium patens to the list of terrestrial organisms that can survive extended stays in space. This hardy group includes various species of bacteria, lichens, plant seeds and tardigrades.
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