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A barrage of radiation couldn’t kill this hardy life-form

The finding calls into question a long-held belief about habitability on certain exoplanets

A photo of the lichen C. lacinulatum

The type of lichen that survived the radiation blast, called Clavascidium lacinulatum, is commonly found in dry environments.

Henry Sun

By Katherine Kornei

An unassuming lichen harbors a hidden superpower: It’s remarkably resistant to ultraviolet radiation. New experiments on the hardy organism call into question the long-held belief that alien planets bathed in ultraviolet light must be sterile worlds, researchers report June 12 in Astrobiology.