Moss is known to survive in some of our planet's harshest environments, but could it do so in the even harsher environs of outer space? A new study suggests it can—and surprisingly well, reports the Guardian. The results might have implications for the diets of future space travelers. For the experiment, researchers from Hokkaido University in Japan sent up moss spores to the International Station and had them attached to the outside of the structure for nine months, per Live Science.
When the spores returned to Earth, they showed impressively high germination rates—86% for those exposed to full space UV radiation, compared to 97% for control spores kept on Earth. "While moss may not be on the menu, its resilience offers insights into developing sustainable life-support systems in space," says Tomomichi Fujita, lead author of the study in the journal iScience. "Mosses could help with oxygen generation, humidity control or even soil formation."
One caveat: The research only looked at the ability of the Physcomitrium patens spores to survive space exposure—not whether they could actually grow and thrive under alien atmospheres. Agata Zupanska, a Seti Institute scientist not involved in the study, said the ISS environment is harsh but doesn't quite match the complexity of true deep space or planetary surfaces. She added that the real test for "space plants" will be whether they can actively grow and reproduce far from Earth.
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