God’s helper. Book-loving mushroom inspires scientists searching for alien life

Scientists have studied some of the most dignified Italian libraries that seem completely “unfit for life” and found that something in them nevertheless successfully developed and even changed the environment for itself, writes Inverse.

Librarians went to great lengths to make the Venetian library one of the most uninhabitable places in the world, keeping conditions unbearably dry to protect rare old books from mold, fungus and other harmful microbes. But a recent study suggests that’s not enough, and even more interestingly, this discovery could play an important role in the search for alien life.

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During the study, scientists from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory scanned the book covers under the electron microscope and found that the fungus Eurotium halophilicum was growing on them, which scientists suggest is an analogue of alien life. Researchers have discovered that this resourceful mushroom has learned to modify its environment according to its needs – for example, it can independently prepare a nutritious cocktail of water vapor and salt molecules.

According to planetary scientist Edgard River-Valentin, this is further proof that life can surprise us more than once. Study co-author Anna Micheluz says that after examining the book covers under a microscope, they discovered that fungi have a halo of tiny, hair-like fibers made of the same material as their cell walls. German Museum. As they vibrate, these fibers trap water molecules and surround the cork with a layer of air that is wetter than the rest of the air in the carefully controlled library.

But this is still not enough – Eurotium halophilicum still needs a liquid, such as brine, which is formed when water vapor strikes a salt crystal. This is where the most surprising thing begins – tiny salt crystals invisible to the human eye on the covers of books occasionally collide with water molecules. As a result, the salt turns into a thin film of salty liquid, which is so necessary for the survival of the fungus.

According to Micheluz, this fungus has evolved so much that it has learned to retain water, collect it in its own cloud of moist air, and create from it the brine needed for nourishment. Scientists believe that Eurotium halophilicum can occasionally repel water molecules, bringing them closer to salt to get the coveted cocktail.

Keep in mind that this is very depressing news for librarians who are trying every possible way to preserve books, but good news for scientists looking for alien life.

Despite the fact that the librarians created the most “uncomfortable living conditions” in the Venetian library, the mushroom still managed to gain a foothold here and even flourish. He achieved all this thanks to his ability to reorganize some of the ecological processes he had to deal with. By the way, the same fungus sometimes surprises people working in the food industry when it spoils products stored in super-dry conditions.

According to Rivera-Valentin, this example shows that if the organism can manipulate the environment, conditions that seem as uninhabitable as possible may not be. Scientists believe this is a strong clue that microbes may one day surprise astrobiologists by surviving where they shouldn’t.

The researchers point out that if microbes can exist in desolate places, simply creating comfortable conditions for themselves, then we cannot wipe out an alien world just because it seems desolate to us.

Previously Focus He wrote that life on Mars was not at all where they were looking for.