Chinese scientists have successfully revived a desert moss inside a mini space laboratory after subjecting it to harsh space conditions, state broadcaster CCTV reported Monday. The plant, Syntrichia caninervis, endured microgravity, intense radiation, and severe dehydration before returning to life.
This experiment marks a step in China's broader push to develop biological tools for long-duration spaceflight and potential planetary colonisation. The moss's resilience under multiple simultaneous stressors makes it a candidate for terraforming efforts on Mars.
According to the CCTV report, the moss was revived after a complete exposure cycle inside the lab. Chinese researchers had previously established its drought tolerance in earlier ground-based studies, but this was the first time it demonstrated resilience across a combined space environment.
The finding suggests that hardy plants could play a role in creating breathable atmospheres or soil on other planets. However, scaling such experiments from a lab to an entire planetary surface remains a distant prospect.
Experts caution that laboratory success does not guarantee survival in the full Martian environment, which includes low atmospheric pressure and temperature extremes not fully replicated in the test.