In an extraordinary display of biological resilience, #moss #spores survived for nine months outside the International Space Station. The spores were then returned to Earth, where 86% germinated and began to grow, researchers report Nov 20 in iScience.
The research adds spores of Physcomitrium patens to the list of terrestrial organisms that can survive extended stays in #space. This hardy group includes various species of bacteria, lichens, plant seeds and tardigrades.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moss-spores-survive-nine-months-space

@Hagukh

All those brown "hairs" are the #spore containing structures or #sporophytes. The green part consists of male and female #gametophytes. This is very different from how it works with seed-bearing plants. #Spores only contain one set of chromosomes, #seeds have two!

"The haploid gametophyte generation of mosses is the dominant phase of the life cycle. This contrasts with the pattern in all vascular plants (seed plants and pteridophytes), where the diploid sporophyte generation is dominant."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss

#Moss #Mosstodon #Biology

Spore sacs (sporangia) of a fern are located on the underside of the fronds, where reproduction happens.

Photograph: Rogelio Moreno Gill/Nikon Small World

#photomicrography
#ferns
#spores

Spores (blue/purple structures) of a small tropical fern (Ceratopteris richardii), widely studied to understand plant evolution.

Photograph: Dr Igor Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World

#photomicrography
#spores

In #Arizona, a fight against a deadly #fungus is under threat from #Trump’s health policies

What one doctor’s quest to stop #ValleyFever says about America’s preparedness for climate-driven disease.

by Zoya Teirstein, October 2, 2025

Excerpt: "Valley fever is endemic to southern #WashingtonState, #Oregon, #California, #Nevada, #Utah, #NewMexico, #Texas, and parts of #CentralAmerica and #SouthAmerica, but nowhere are cases of the disease more common than in Arizona. After Arizona started mandatory laboratory reporting for valley fever in 1997, registered cases ticked up and down. But the number began trending upward dramatically in 2016. Then, in 2024, cases in the state exploded, hitting their second-highest total ever. More than 15,000 infections were reported — a 37 percent increase over 2023. California, which runs just behind Arizona in its annual valley fever caseload, registered a record-breaking 12,637 cases in 2024, representing a 39 percent increase over the previous year, which had already smashed a record set in 2019.

"Some portion of the rise in reported cases represents growing awareness among physicians and an associated surge in testing. The pace of new construction in #UntouchedAreas also plays a role.

"But the recent increase in cases has been so dramatic, Galgiani and other researchers across the West who study the fungus think another factor may be driving the trend: #supersoaker winter #monsoons followed by scorching summer #heat and #drought, a cycle made more intense by #ClimateChange.

"Because warmer air holds more moisture, monsoons and other major rainfall events pull in larger quantities of water vapor and produce heavier downpours as the planet warms. This physical fact has fueled a spate of #MonsterFloods across the U.S. and around the world in recent years. But the same warmth can conversely lead to drought by making the atmosphere 'thirstier,' or capable of absorbing more water from the land’s surface. Both conditions facilitate the spread of valley fever — the wetter conditions by encouraging growth of the #spores, and the drier by facilitating desiccation and soil disturbance.

" 'The main driver for us is certainly this very clear association for #coccidioides between heavy precipitation cycles followed by drought,' said George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine who specializes in #FungalDiseases.

"And it’s not just valley fever that may increase its spread thanks to climate change. Peer reviewed research shows that fungal threats of all kinds are poised to emerge and thrive in a warming world."

https://grist.org/health/valley-fever-arizona-fungus-climate-change/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#ExtremeWeather #ClimateCrisis #Disease

You know what we desperately need? The spores from This Side of Paradise.

#startrek #spores

Moss . an oddity plant with spores . sporophyte stage . wiry setae tipped with sporangia (capsules) . where the spores develop #photo #nature #moss #plants #spores #northernrivers #earthmagic

Out of the ashes: How #fungi are surviving—and even thriving—in a warming world https://orionmagazine.org/article/out-of-the-ashes/

"#Redwoods were soon sprouting green shoots from completely carbonized trunks, and fungi were fruiting everywhere. A wash of honey mushrooms along the edge of a creek released so many #spores, they blanketed the water white. And then, a multitude of strangers. Tens of thousands of #mushrooms he had never seen before. The mushrooms were clearly responding to the fire."

White mold #fungi split their #genome across several nuclei https://theconversation.com/white-mold-fungi-split-their-genome-across-several-nuclei-with-implications-for-future-gene-editing-260699

"#spores of S. sclerotiorum contain one set of 16 #chromosomes divided across two nuclei, rather than each nucleus containing a complete set... #chromosome composition varies among nuclei, suggesting the division of chromosomes between nuclei is in an irregular manner... to produce the next generation, they need to reform a diploid cell with the full suite... Presumably, this requires the fusion of nuclei"

Let me in your adventuring party i'm normal and can be trusted with spores.

#fantasy #artwork #digitalart #dnd #pathfinder #daggerheart #gloomhaven #druid #spores #mushrooms #anthro #furry #anthropomorphic #oc #characterdesign

spores...

#spores #animatedgif

spores...

#spores #animatedgif

Spore spike of fern spotted in Shindagin Hollow State Forest

#photo #photography #plants #ferns #spores #shindagin #caroline

#Dandelion #Autumn #Glow By Kaye Menner #Photography Wide variety #Prints & lovely #Products at:

https://bit.ly/4daG7iB

#dandelion #macro #light #contrast #spores #red #yellow #redyellow #homedecor #mastoart #fediverse #fediart #fedigiftshop #giftideas #wallartforsale #Art #artforsale #BuyIntoArt #AYearForArt #Artist #FineArtAmerica #PhotographyFeed #VisualArts #CreativeArts

Look under the leaves of coffee ferns (Pellaea andromedifolia) and you’ll see curled-up edges hiding clusters of sporangia—tiny sacs that split open to launch microscopic spores into the wind.

#ferns #spores #wildlife #nature #california #californianativeplants