Chinese Scientists Discover Plant Syntrichia caninervis That Could Survive On Mars

Scientists have been trying to find the possibility of life on Mars for decades. Now Chinese scientists have claimed to have made a major discovery in this direction. Scientists have discovered a plant that can survive even in the extreme conditions of Mars! However, scientists have just expressed its possibility. This plant is found in Antarctica and the Mojave Desert. It is a type of desert moss, about which scientists have expressed the possibility that it could be the key to flourishing life on the red planet.

The Guardian According to a report, the scientific name of this desert moss is Syntrichia caninervis. Scientists have said that it can tolerate extreme heat, extreme cold, and radiation. The team of researchers has said that their study lays the foundation for establishing a colony in space which will have naturally selected plants, which will be able to protect themselves even in the challenging conditions there.

The study about Syntrichia caninervis says that its environmental resilience proves it to be superior to all other microorganisms that can survive even in extremely stressful environments. Scientists are saying that this is a pioneer plant that can lay the foundation for the settlement of human settlements in space outside the Earth. This study has been published in a journal called The Innovation.

Researchers have explained in the article about Syntricia caninervis that this desert moss not only survived in such an environment, but it also recovered itself from extreme water shortage. That is, it can recover itself even from high level of dehydration. The plant was exposed to gamma rays at minus 196 degrees Celsius for 30 days. It was kept at minus 80 degrees Celsius for 5 years. Even then it continued to grow normally.

Apart from this, the team created a pressure zone like Mars for it, the same temperature was passed over it, it was kept in gases and ultraviolet radiation. When it was seen after seven days, it was still alive. Scientists seem confident that this plant can definitely survive in the challenging environment of Mars. However, more in-depth research is yet to be done in this area, but in the form of Syntrichia caninervis, scientists have found a plant that can lay the foundation of life outside the Earth in space.