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Constant change and a tiny step.

                   Finally a breathing space, realization during these period is that changes are constant , changes never change.  Little steps taken for a healthy environment can also make a better difference. Milk packets:          Recently I came across few articles and posts , that opening the milk packets without cutting off the tip  and just having a slit without separating  the small piece can reduce the number of small plastics entering the soil which never gets decomposed. Karnataka has encouraged citizens in this method. This can be used in any plastic covers we use in our day to day lives.           I hope we could implement this small step.            Comment on if you got any more ideas
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High hopes for Lichens to survive Outer Space!

       Have you ever dreamt of visiting space, very recently people very much talk about settling on Mars. Intense experiments are being done to learn more about the outer environment, to study the conditions. I am sharing an interesting article about, how the researchers exposed a living organism to naked outer space and what were the interesting observation made with the experiment.

Before visiting any new place or environment, familiarising with that region is a significant approach for easy adaptation. Getting acclimatized with the new region can ensure survival, that is how the human race has succeeded the entire earth. Now we aim for outer space. So simply diving into the region is not in our genes. Humans have been vigorously involved in understanding outer space. 

A particular research approach began by exposing tiny organisms and understanding their survival strategies, followed by analyzing their gene changes if any before and after exposure. For the purpose of how adaptable the life forms are, International Space Station had set up an Expose-R2 mission with European Space Agency for exposing the tiny living organism to the outer space region. 

In the experiment, the luckiest life forms chosen for the initial space exposure testing are Lichens, for their ability to thrive in high temperatures and desiccation and are popularly called extremophiles for the above properties. Lichen species of Circinaria gyrosa samples were prepared and hardened for the outer environment. The sample was sustained and exposed for 18 months. The final results after several analyses and testing showed that the Lichens resisted the heavy UV radiations and the extreme conditions during the exposure period. Yet the mechanism for survival in Lichens is not yet understood.  DNA damage was observed also Lichens showed poor photosynthesis ability after being recovered. 

Finally, a life form survived outer space, but it is very clear that we have a very long way before we own a plot on Mars.








Reference:

de la Torre Noetzel, R., Ortega García, M. V., Miller, A. Z., Bassy, O., Granja, C., Cubero, & de Vera, J. P. P. (2020). Lichen vitality after a space flight on board the EXPOSE-R2 facility outside the international space station: results of the biology and mars experiment. Astrobiology, 20(5), 583-600.

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