Spores of moss reportedly survived its nearly a year outside experience in space on the International Space Station and returned back to Earth alive.

Moss spores survived in outer space for a majority of 2022, and could even reproduce when they were eventually returned to Earth, according to a new study.

A species of moss survived for 9 months on the outside of the International Space Station, new research reveals — and 80% of the samples kept reproducing when returned to Earth.

Moss spores were attached to the outside of the International Space Station for nine months in an experiment. Most survived and were able to reproduce back on Earth.

Space is a harsh environment: it's a vacuum with freezing temperatures, super high ultraviolet radiation and, of course, almost no oxygen. But Japanese researchers have found a type of moss that doesn’t really care about much of that.

According to a new study published today in iScience, Physcomitrium patens—an extremely common moss species—can survive for 9 months outside of the International Space Station. What’s more, 80% of the moss spores came back to Earth intact and healthy enough to continue growing,

It turns out moss is one of the few plants that even the vacuum of space can't kill. Mosses are remarkably resilient, thriving in extreme conditions on Earth - from the intense heat of Death Valley, California,

Astronauts strapped moss spores to the outside of the International Space Station for nine months - and most of them survived the challenging experience