Extreme Environmental Tolerance and Space Survivability of the Moss, Physcomitrium patens
Joint press release (in Japanese) by Hokkaido University, Miyagi University, Kyushu University, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, University of Tsukuba, and Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences
Abstractz
Climate change highlights the importance of understanding life’s survival limits for addressing global challenges and supporting future human habitation beyond Earth. Plants, as photosynthetic organisms, play a vital role in sustaining life. Bryophytes, such as mosses, show notable extremotolerance, but despite studies on environmental responses in the model moss Physcomitrium patens, its survival under extreme conditions in space remains unclear. We tested protonemata, brood cells, and spores encased in sporangium under simulated space environments, identifying spores as the most resilient, and subsequently exposed them to the space environment outside the International Space Station. After 9 months in space,….
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Article inforamation
Chang-hyun Maeng, Yuji Hiwatashi, Keita Nakamura, Osamu Matsuda, Hajime Mita, Kaori Tomita-Yokotani, Shin-ichi Yokobori, Akihiko Yamagishi, Atsushi Kume, Tomomichi Fujita, Extreme Environmental Tolerance and Space Survivability of the Moss, Physcomitrium patens, 2025, 113827
DOI:10.1016/j.isci.2025.113827
