ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-25 01:00 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-25 01:00 pm
Entry tags:
Exoplanets
Mojave lichen defies death rays—could life thrive on distant exoplanets?
Lichen from the Mojave Desert can survive, and replicate, under levels of extreme solar radiation found on Earth-like planets in other solar systems.
Lichen from the Mojave Desert has stunned scientists by surviving months of lethal UVC radiation, suggesting life could exist on distant planets orbiting volatile stars. The secret? A microscopic “sunscreen” layer that protects their vital cells—even though Earth’s atmosphere already filters out such rays.
Yep. Lichen exemplifies one category of extremophile that you will find on exoplanets: small armored organisms. It's about as complex as life gets on most planets, being a multicellular organism comprised of algae and fungi.
You'll also find a lot of places with the equivalent of bacteria, algae, and other single-celled creatures. Less often, you might spot a miniature ecosystem in a moss-like plant with equivalents of rotifers, tardigrades, and such. Another rarity, but always worth testing for, are things like brine shrimp who leave desiccated eggs that hatch on contact with water.
This is because it's much easier for small, simple creatures to survive in harsh environments than it is for large, complex ones. Earth-like ecosystems are ultra-rare in most galaxies. So that also tells you what to take along for terraforming.
Lichen from the Mojave Desert can survive, and replicate, under levels of extreme solar radiation found on Earth-like planets in other solar systems.
Lichen from the Mojave Desert has stunned scientists by surviving months of lethal UVC radiation, suggesting life could exist on distant planets orbiting volatile stars. The secret? A microscopic “sunscreen” layer that protects their vital cells—even though Earth’s atmosphere already filters out such rays.
Yep. Lichen exemplifies one category of extremophile that you will find on exoplanets: small armored organisms. It's about as complex as life gets on most planets, being a multicellular organism comprised of algae and fungi.
You'll also find a lot of places with the equivalent of bacteria, algae, and other single-celled creatures. Less often, you might spot a miniature ecosystem in a moss-like plant with equivalents of rotifers, tardigrades, and such. Another rarity, but always worth testing for, are things like brine shrimp who leave desiccated eggs that hatch on contact with water.
This is because it's much easier for small, simple creatures to survive in harsh environments than it is for large, complex ones. Earth-like ecosystems are ultra-rare in most galaxies. So that also tells you what to take along for terraforming.