My power word in the news this week is fungi, I found the article titled “Antarctic fungi survive Martian conditions on the International Space Station.” According to this article some European researchers set out to determine whether fungi can grow in Mars-like conditions. Mars-like conditions basically means an atmosphere with high levels of carbon dioxide, low argon, low oxygen, and low nitrogen, as well as a pressure of 1,000 Pascals, and UV radiation. Scientists extracted fungi from the driest and most hostile environment on our planet, located in Antarctica, to test whether fungi could survive such extreme conditions. The article stated that “after 18 months on board in conditions similar to those on Mars, more than 60% of their cells remained intact, with stable DNA.” This information is important because we now know that some forms of life can survive on a planet such as Mars that has very harsh conditions, this knowledge is vital in the search of life on that planet. As we compile more data on what type of organism can survive the particular conditions of another planet, our search for life can become more precise.

              This article was well written in an academic tone. Some extra details could have been included, so that the differences between our atmosphere and Mars’ atmosphere could be understood, but overall the source was easy to understand. The article was written by phys.org a large science magazine publisher. The journal Astrobiology was referenced throughout, which is a peer reviewed journal, making the article more credible. So the article was not peer-reviewed but did have a scientific reference. This type of article is optimal for readers that are not too advanced but are interested in this finding, but allows for further inquiry linking it to the scientific journal it was originally mentioned in.             

 

http://phys.org/news/2016-01-antarctic-fungi-survive-martian-conditions.html#jCp