China revives desert moss in space lab as it tests hi-tech tools for future missions

China has tested a desert moss that may one day be used to colonise Mars by reviving it inside a mini space laboratory, state broadcaster CCTV said on Monday. The plant, a highly drought-resistant species called Syntrichia caninervis, was revived after being subjected to a series of extreme space conditions – including microgravity, intense radiation and severe dehydration – showing it is remarkably resilient in space, according to the report.

Chinese scientists had previously established in...