<
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20241112-the-mountaineers-and-hikers-collecting-data-in-extreme-environments-that-scientists-cant-reach>
'Surrounded by glaciers and roughly 6,400m (21,000ft) above sea level, Willie
Benegas spotted a pop of green moss wedged in granite. "Wow, this is an odd
place for moss to be," he observed.
In 2011, Benegas, an extreme mountaineering guide, was 500ft (152m) above the
steep, exposed terrain of Mount Everest's Camp 2 and – despite having summited
Mount Everest over a dozen times – he still found himself "impressed". Using a
sterilised cloth Benegas scooped the moss into an envelope to be transported to
a lab on another continent.
The moss travelled from the planet's peak to Montana State University's
Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, where Tim McDermott, an
environmental microbiologist, analysed the bacteria living on its surface. From
there, the moss continued to Rusty Rodriguez, a microbiologist for the United
States Geological Survey, who was researching how plants form symbiotic
relationships with fungi that can help them survive extreme conditions. His
research revealed that these fungi can programme plants to withstand drought
and temperature stress.
As plant life expands to ever-higher altitudes, it was hoped this moss could
reveal how crops can adapt to increasingly extreme weather, withstanding frost
and high ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The findings were later used to increase
crop yields around the world – and Rodriguez developed a Seattle-based company,
Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies (AST). AST manufactures fungal spores to
enhance crop tolerance to extreme weather. Without the help of mountaineers and
volunteers, says Rodriguez, this would not have been possible.'
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
