By: Maggie Z
Have you ever wondered whether Mars can support life? Could people ever eventually live on Mars like they do here on Earth? Will you be one of those people? Well, the answers to those questions are: yes, possibly, and . . . you’ll have to talk to NASA about that.
On July 1, 2024, a group of scientists at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography tested many different kinds of moss to see if at least some life can survive on Mars and try to extend that ‘some life’ to ‘all humans.’ After all, Mars is like Earth’s cousin!
The scientists tested many different species of moss in environments mimicking Mars’ inhospitable setup, like its barren, frigid, drought-affected, and highly radioactive habitat. But that only covers Mars’s surface conditions. According to the Arizona State University, Mars’s atmosphere is “95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and it has traces of oxygen, carbon monoxide, water, methane, and other gases, along with a lot of dust. . . . Relative to Earth, the air on Mars is extremely thin.” These circumstances mean there is very little of the stuff we humans need to survive: oxygen.
After lots and lots of testing, the scientists finally found a match for what they were looking for: the species Syntrichia caninervis. The moss is typically found in extreme-temperature regions, like Antarctica (the coldest place on Earth!) and the Mojave desert (the hottest place on Earth).
Syntrichia caninervis not only survived but quickly recovered from the extreme lack of water and began to flourish. “This paper [discovery] is exciting because it shows that . . . [Syntrichia caninervis] survives short exposures to some of the stresses that are likely to be found on a trip to Mars, including very high levels of radiation, very cold temperatures, and very low oxygen levels,” said Professor Stuart McDaniel, from the University of Florida, who wasn’t part of the study but is an expert on moss.
So, who knows? Maybe one day, humans will be able to live in Mars’ harsh environment. Just like Syntrichia caninervis.
Image Credit by Ayşin