This Remarkable Desert Plant Could Grow on Mars
The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis could be key to colonizing Mars due to its ability to survive extreme cold, radiation, and Mars-like conditions, potentially supporting…
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. About one-third of the Earth’s land surface is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the polar regions where little precipitation occurs and which are sometimes called “cold deserts”. Deserts can be classified by their geographical location and dominant weather pattern as trade wind, mid-latitude, rain shadow, coastal, monsoon, or polar deserts. The fauna and flora of a desert ecosystem have adapted to survive harsh conditions, with specialized behaviors and reproductive systems that help them survive in extreme environments. The vegetation, when present, is highly adapted to conserve water, often featuring small, thick leaves and spiny structures.
The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis could be key to colonizing Mars due to its ability to survive extreme cold, radiation, and Mars-like conditions, potentially supporting…
Fungi and lichens threaten Negev Desert’s petroglyphs, eroding ancient artworks through chemical and mechanical means. Southern Israel’s Negev desert is famous for its ancient rock…
In a discovery with implications for the search for extraterrestrial life, scientists have uncovered microbial life 13 feet beneath the surface of the Atacama Desert,…
A new molecular DNA analysis technique has enabled the detection of viable microbes at depths of up to 4.20 meters. This discovery also holds significance…
Researchers describe topsoil as “death zone” for fresh grass in the fairy circle. Namibia’s legendary fairy circles are mysterious, circular, bald patches in the dry…
Research indicates that fairy circles, previously identified only in Namibia and Australia, have now been discovered in over 250 sites across 15 nations and three…
For over a decade, the origin of the numerous circular bare patches amidst the African grasslands, known as fairy circles, has been a topic of…
A pioneering study has unveiled new insights into the humid phases in North Africa over the last 800,000 years, explaining why the Sahara Desert periodically…
Generating new soil crust in deserts using solar farms. In the dry lands of the American Southwest, there is a hidden world beneath us. Biocrusts,…
Diversity in flower color and patterning is even greater for pollinators. The Atacama desert, which stretches for nearly 1,600 kilometers along the western coast of…
Inexplicable circles are caused by plant water stress, not termites, according to research from Göttingen University. For almost 50 years, researchers have been perplexed by…
Largest changes centered over Rio Grande region of Southwestern U.S. In arid Western states, the climate is growing warmer and drier, leading to increased demand…
Researchers will design a mission to learn about underground aquifers in areas such as the Sahara and how climate change will affect them in the…
Moisture farming is not just for the deserts of Tatooine — advances in fog harvesting technology may provide an additional fresh water source in foggy…
Researchers have discovered a veritable microbial oasis, under the Atacama Desert in Chile. The region is known for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), but…