Can E.T. survive UV?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Other planets are uninhabitable because stars emit intense ultraviolet radiation. This UV radiation is toxic to living organisms, or is it…?
Enter Tejinder Singh and team from the Desert Research Institute. They wanted to know if lichens could survive UV radiation.
Lichens are a mixed species of fungus and algae usually found on rocks. They tested Mojave Desert lichens under intense UV light.
Results? By separating and analyzing different chemicals in lichens, they found a protective surface pigment. This dark pigment shielded and preserved the lichen’s cells! Without it, lichens died within a minute!
Maybe E.T. should spruce up his disguise with a lichen under that darling wig!
Reference: Singh, T., Georgiou, C. D., Jeffrey, C. S., Tucker, M. J., Philbin, C. S., Mahmud, T., McKay, C. P., & Sun, H. J. (2025). UVC-Intense Exoplanets May Not Be Uninhabitable: Evidence from a Desert Lichen. Astrobiology, 25(6), 404–413. https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2024.0137