July 7, 2012
laboratoryequipment: Lichen Prove to be Toughest Life on EarthYou can freeze it, thaw it, vacuum dry it and expose it to radiation, but still life survives. ESA’s research on the International Space Station is giving credibility to theories that life came from outer space– as well as helping to create better sunscreens. That’s not a desktop computer tower or an in-flight beverage cart up above. It’s the Expose-E. Sort of like Wall-E in that it’s capable of venturing into space while also storing plants inside of itself for safe keeping. Well, maybe not safe keeping, but some kind of keeping. After 18 months spent strapped to the outside of the ISS, braving all the highs and lows of existence in a vacuum, the vegetative matter inside came home. And scientists found that lichen, of all things, had proven some of the toughest stuff on or off the Earth. Now, scientists are wondering if lichen’s ability to exist in the void moves us closer to believing that life hitched a ride to this planet on an asteroid. They also want to use the stuff to make sunscreen lotion. So I guess that’s a thing. —MN

laboratoryequipment:

Lichen Prove to be Toughest Life on Earth

You can freeze it, thaw it, vacuum dry it and expose it to radiation, but still life survives. ESA’s research on the International Space Station is giving credibility to theories that life came from outer space– as well as helping to create better sunscreens.

That’s not a desktop computer tower or an in-flight beverage cart up above. It’s the Expose-E. Sort of like Wall-E in that it’s capable of venturing into space while also storing plants inside of itself for safe keeping.

Well, maybe not safe keeping, but some kind of keeping. After 18 months spent strapped to the outside of the ISS, braving all the highs and lows of existence in a vacuum, the vegetative matter inside came home. And scientists found that lichen, of all things, had proven some of the toughest stuff on or off the Earth. Now, scientists are wondering if lichen’s ability to exist in the void moves us closer to believing that life hitched a ride to this planet on an asteroid.

They also want to use the stuff to make sunscreen lotion. So I guess that’s a thing. —MN

(via scinerds)

10:31am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5yOtKfHM
(View comments) 
(Notes: 247)
  
Filed under: science plants botany ISS lichen NASA 
  1. grids-groupings reblogged this from howstuffworks
  2. brokentardisdreams reblogged this from thescienceofreality
  3. ja-vert-javier reblogged this from scinerds
  4. sweeneytravis reblogged this from likeaphysicist
  5. cosmosplasma reblogged this from abcstarstuff
  6. idrewyouasquirrelbecauseiloveyou reblogged this from laboratoryequipment
  7. saucyhare reblogged this from laboratoryequipment
  8. nicoledissonance reblogged this from howstuffworks
  9. danielle-darling reblogged this from thescienceofreality
  10. thepith reblogged this from scinerds
  11. superwhomore reblogged this from likeaphysicist
  12. foreverspectator reblogged this from scinerds
  13. noaxioms reblogged this from abcstarstuff
  14. abcstarstuff reblogged this from neuronsandneutrons
  15. sempaiikun reblogged this from scinerds
  16. thelionsstampede reblogged this from scinerds
  17. sassiavelli reblogged this from scinerds
  18. callmelogic reblogged this from thescienceofreality
  19. stumbleawaydontaskwhy reblogged this from nybg
  20. spockandsex reblogged this from thescienceofreality
  21. liminalbeauty reblogged this from astudyinspock
  22. ollibruuh reblogged this from scinerds
  23. meikoshark reblogged this from scinerds
  24. magister-zazu reblogged this from scinerds
Blog comments powered by Disqus