Scientists have identified a kind of desert moss that could help support possible colonies on Mars, a study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed recently.
The moss - Syntrichia Caninervis - was able to survive Mars-like conditions of extreme dryness, very low temperatures and radiation, the research shows.
该研究表明，这种苔藓——齿肋赤藓——能够在类似火星的极端干燥、极低温和辐射条件下生存。
The study appeared recently in the publication The Innovation.
该研究最近发表在《创新》杂志上。
"The moss could serve as the basis for the establishment and maintenance of the ecosystem by contributing to oxygen production, carbon sequestration, and soil fertility," the study said.
该研究称：“这种苔藓可以通过促进制氧、碳封存和改善土壤肥力，作为建立和维持生态系统的基础。”
The paper added, "It can help drive the atmospheric, geological, and ecological processes required for other higher plants and animals
该论文补充说：“它可以帮助推动其他高等高等动植物所需的大气、地质和生态过程，
while helping to create new environments that could support long-term human settlement."
同时帮助创造能够支持长期人类定居的新环境。”
The study shows that the moss could return quickly to health even after losing more than 98 percent of its cellular water.
该研究表明，这种苔藓即使失去超过98%的细胞水分，也可以迅速恢复健康。
The plant was able to recover its normal operation seconds after getting water.
该植物在获得水分后几秒钟内就可以恢复正常生长状态。
The plant can also survive very low temperatures.
这种植物也能在极低的温度下存活。
It can recover or regenerate after being stored in a freezer at -80 degrees Celsius for five years.
它在零下80度的冰柜中保存5年还能复苏或再生。
It can survive a month in liquid nitrogen, the researchers found.
研究人员发现，它可以在液氮中存活一个月。
Researchers collected the study plants from a desert in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.
研究人员从中国新疆维吾尔自治区的沙漠中收集了该研究植物。
The moss also grows in Tibet, the American state of California, the Middle East and polar areas.
这种苔藓也生长在西藏、美国加利福尼亚州、中东和极地地区。
China and the United States have announced a number of space exploration plans in recent years.
近年来，中国和美国宣布了多项太空探索计划。
Chinese missions include launching a near-Earth asteroid probe Tianwen-2 next year, and Tianwen-3 around 2030 to collect material from Mars and bring it to Earth for study.
