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Once upon a time,
there was a tiny, neglected plant.
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00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,480
A plant capable of working wonders.
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00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,840
An ingenious and resilient plant.
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00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:38,320
Long underestimated.
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00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,800
It is a plant that excites
the passions of the scientists
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00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,960
working to unveil its mysteries.
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00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,160
It grows everywhere on the planet.
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00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:55,760
It transcends the landscape.
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00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:02,040
And gives us a glimpse
of surprising magical worlds.
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00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:33,040
This small organism tells
a marvellous story about our world.
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00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,440
Mosses are essential to
life on Earth,
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00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:42,360
and they have been reshaping
our planet since the dawn of time.
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00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,960
In Japan, mosses are revered.
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00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,680
The Japanese look upon them
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00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:05,040
as Westerners might look upon
a heavenly constellation,
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00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,920
with the same awe and wonder.
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00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,600
Here, the forces of nature,
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00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,680
such as the wind, the rivers,
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00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,880
animals, and moss
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00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:25,040
are venerated. They are careful
not to disturb the plant
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00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,920
and let it cover sacred sites.
24
00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:38,280
They care for the mosses
with endless skill and patience.
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00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,840
They go out of their way to protect
and contemplate the mosses.
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00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,120
Every detail is important.
27
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:04,440
Anything that might disturb or harm
the moss is meticulously removed,
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00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:08,480
as if each sprig
were a priceless treasure.
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00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,680
The garden at Kokedera,
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00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,640
also known as the Moss Temple,
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00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,680
is an extraordinary sanctuary.
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00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:06,120
It is home to more than
120 species of moss.
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00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,840
Unlike the complex Latin names
used in Europe,
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00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:14,720
the Japanese give mosses
more delicate, intuitive names
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00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,440
like Spiral Moss...
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00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:20,520
..Whip Moss...
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00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:24,000
..Shining Branch...
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00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:27,080
..White Hair...
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00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:30,720
..and Grandfather's Beard.
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00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:17,440
Mould Moss is very easy to locate.
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00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:19,840
All you have to do is bend down,
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00:05:19,840 --> 00:05:21,600
take a sniff,
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00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,400
and let yourself be
guided by its characteristic odour.
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00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:39,640
Other mosses give off the aroma
of peppers, cucumbers or oysters.
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00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,120
In this temple, each sprig of moss
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00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:45,880
is treated like a precious jewel,
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fragile and delicate.
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00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:52,440
But there are other,
less hospitable places
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00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:57,560
where the mosses can show off their
exceptional capacities for survival.
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00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,040
The volcanic highlands
of Lakagigar in Iceland
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00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,960
reveal some of
the superpowers of moss.
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00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,760
How did our frail little mosses
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00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:18,080
manage to invade these lunar
landscapes scorched by lava flows?
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00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,800
In 1783, one of the most
violent volcanic eruptions
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00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:30,200
of the last 10,000 years
happened here.
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00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:44,240
Magnea Magnusdottir
is an enthusiastic biologist.
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00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,720
She's studying the grey,
velvety moss
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00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:52,400
that covers the surface
of this area - the Racomitrium.
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00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,680
It has taken over two centuries
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for nature to produce this
fragile coat of moss.
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00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:16,360
60 centimetres thick,
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00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:20,520
it covers this vast,
ten-metre-high lava field.
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00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,800
Over time,
the moss has grown thicker.
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00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:38,480
It has created a fertile,
stable topsoil
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00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,960
that allows flowering plants
and shrubs to grow.
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00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:52,840
The moss is a pioneer plant.
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00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,480
It has taken hold
where no-one expected it to -
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in this harsh,
inhospitable landscape.
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00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,120
To understand how that was possible,
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00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:06,000
we have to go back to a key moment
in our planet's history.
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00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:14,040
450 million years ago, the oceans
underwent an enormous upheaval.
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00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:26,400
Algae took advantage of the tidal
ebb and flow to move onto the land,
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00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:30,240
gradually adapting
and evolving into mosses.
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00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:37,000
Their spread provided a layer
of soil over the volcanic rock.
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00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,640
These very first terrestrial plants
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were one of the main sources
of oxygen in the atmosphere,
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00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:52,400
enabling other forms of life
to evolve and thrive.
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00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:58,920
Mosses have colonised nearly
the entire surface of the Earth,
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00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:03,080
transforming an arid planet
into a lush planet.
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00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,240
Mosses grow nearly everywhere
on the Earth.
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We have discovered close to
25,000 species.
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The conditions in the gorges
of the Toul-Goulic in Brittany
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are ideal for mosses.
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00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,200
The light is filtered
by leafy branches.
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And it is always humid.
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Moss grows everywhere.
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00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,560
Moss specialists, or bryologists,
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00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:07,040
come from near and far to study
these mosses, or bryophytes.
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00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:20,520
Vincent Hugonnot is one of
France's leading bryologists.
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He never goes anywhere
without his favourite tool.
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Grasping the beauty of mosses
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is first of all
learning how to look at them.
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Observing them reveals surprising
and widely varying forms.
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00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:21,840
Because what bryologists like best
is recognising and naming mosses,
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detecting the rarest species
and immersing themselves
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in anatomical detail.
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00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,000
Close observation of the mosses
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transforms them into lush jungles
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inhabited by fantastic creatures.
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00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:49,080
An invaluable network
of living beings which spread,
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decompose and regulate
the microflorae of the ground.
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00:14:56,120 --> 00:15:00,840
These miniature forests are home
to crawling springtails,
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00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:05,160
curious hairy moss mites
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and slimy roundworms.
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00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,080
If we look even more closely...
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00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:22,400
..we can make out these unusual
micro shrimps, called rotifers,
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00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,840
and strange little
eight-legged creatures
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00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,000
that browse on the surface
of the mosses -
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00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,000
tardigrades, or water bears.
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00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,280
These amazing creatures
are quite resourceful.
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00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:43,320
They can slow down their metabolism
to withstand drought,
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a fascinating adaptation
that they share with mosses.
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This heightened tolerance to drought
and the moss' capacity to revive
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when conditions become favourable
again are major assets.
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They allow mosses to withstand
extreme conditions
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better than any other plants,
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even in the harshest environments.
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00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:29,480
A British ecologist came
face-to-face with this phenomenon,
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called reviviscence,
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00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:37,000
on an expedition to the South Pole
to study global warming.
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00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,080
This is Peter Convey.
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00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:48,000
In 2014, he revived a moss plant
embedded in the frozen soil.
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00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:53,560
His discovery sent a shock wave
through the scientific community.
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00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:59,000
What we were trying to do
was to sample a core
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00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,800
through one of these
deep peat banks.
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00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:03,400
So several cores were taken
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to be analysed for various chemicals
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that are indicators of climate.
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00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:08,960
But we took an extra core
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simply because we wanted to analyse
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the biological properties
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of the core itself.
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So, not the chemistry,
not the climate reconstruction.
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We simply wanted to see, was there
any life within the core itself?
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00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:27,720
We wrap it up carefully and cleanly.
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We pack it into boxes
and we carry it
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00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,440
round about an hour and a half's
walk back to the station
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where we can put it in freezers,
and that's all we do with it.
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00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:37,840
On the station,
we store them in freezers
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00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,280
until we can get them
back to the UK.
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00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,520
Peter Convey came to analyse
the soil chemistry.
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00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:03,320
This moss sample was not
the primary focus of his expedition.
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00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:09,000
But because he was interested in
the characteristics of bryophytes,
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his attention was drawn
to the exceptional thickness
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00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,520
of the moss sample he took.
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00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:19,920
We have a very clear clue
that these moss banks are old,
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for the very simple reason
that in the Antarctic
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mosses grow about
half a centimetre a year.
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00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:27,560
So if you've got
a two-metre-thick moss bank,
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00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:29,760
you've got many centuries
of moss at the bottom,
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you know it's going to be old.
The only way to test how old it is
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is to use radiocarbon dating.
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So the key thing, if we know
we've got a metre of moss -
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00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:41,560
we had a metre and a half
of the moss in this core -
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we know that the bottom of that
is many centuries old.
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So the next question was to find out
how many centuries old.
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The thawed out moss
immediately showed signs of life,
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and thanks to carbon-14 dating,
Peter made a remarkable discovery.
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He had revived
a 1,500-year-old moss.
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00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:18,560
It was around when the Roman Empire
was on the decline.
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I was rather excited!
I mean, that really...
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It was a brand-new discovery.
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This moss was happily growing away
on Signy Island
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a millennia and a half
before we discovered Antarctica.
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It's a step change
in our understanding
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of how long something can survive
for. It obviously was alive,
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00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:43,120
we haven't created life, but
we've stimulated it back into growth
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and it's by far the oldest one I'm
aware of that that's happened to.
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Could it be that mosses
have discovered
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the secret of immortality?
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00:20:55,440 --> 00:21:00,320
What is for certain is that
they are still full of mysteries.
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00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:10,120
And what about these colonies
of moss called glacier mice?
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They can survive on ice.
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00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:17,920
Their most surprising characteristic
is not their tolerance for cold,
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00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:23,880
but their capacity to move
two and a half centimetres a day.
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Neither wind nor gravity
explain this phenomenon.
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00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,080
So how do they do it?
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00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,680
One explanation
is that our glacier mouse
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protects the ice beneath it
from the sun.
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00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,880
When the ice around it melts,
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the moss is left perched
on a little ice island
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it has protected
from the sun's ultraviolet rays.
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00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:53,680
It eventually tips over
and the process starts again,
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slowly transforming the moss
into a rolling ball.
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00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:00,520
So much for the old saying
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00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,160
a rolling stone gathers no moss.
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Mosses are discreet,
but grow all over the world.
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00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,320
They can cope with extreme
temperature swings
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ranging from
-40 to +70 degrees Celsius.
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00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,520
Bryophytes include mosses
that can survive
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in the hot springs in Iceland.
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00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:36,520
Like this moss, the Solenostoma,
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00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:40,320
that clings to rocks
in scorching Icelandic rivers.
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00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:48,160
Bryophytes are one of the organisms
most capable of adapting
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00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:49,680
to climate change.
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How can a plant be so resilient?
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00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,720
How has it managed to grow
everywhere on the planet?
198
00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:03,480
What is it secret?
199
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:15,920
The moss' extreme resilience
lies in its simplicity.
200
00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:22,160
It is an organism that has
no flowers, no seeds and no roots.
201
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,920
The moss does not draw the
nutriments it needs from a soil,
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00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:30,640
but from direct contact
with air and water.
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00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:50,000
A few drops of water
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are enough to trigger
the moss' reproductive cycle.
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00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:56,840
Water activates the spermatozoids,
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00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,480
which swim to the female gamete.
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00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:16,680
Fertilisation takes place.
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00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,320
And a fairy-like ballet begins.
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00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:29,840
After three weeks, the miraculous
cycle of life gets under way.
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Long filaments rise towards the sky.
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00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,480
They are topped by small pods
which swell and open.
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00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:19,240
They explode, releasing thousands
of spores, like a firework display,
213
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:23,480
giving life to a new generation
of baby mosses.
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00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,600
Mosses have retained features
215
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,040
inherited from
their aquatic origins.
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00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,320
As they evolved,
217
00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:49,680
they survived on a planet
with no atmosphere,
218
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:54,240
bombarded by the radiation
from the sun and space.
219
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,800
This could help explain their
resistance to the radioactivity
220
00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:06,040
in the contamination zone
around Fukushima in Japan.
221
00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,400
Professor Masaki Shimamura
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00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:22,480
is the director of the
Bryological Society of Japan.
223
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:27,440
He has been studying the impact of
the nuclear catastrophe on mosses.
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00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,920
This bioaccumulation by the mosses
225
00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,000
has led Professor Shimamura
to conclude
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00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,520
that the forests and dams
are the most contaminated areas.
227
00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,840
Rainwater soaks down
to the bottom of the valley,
228
00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:02,280
where record levels of radioactivity
can be observed.
229
00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:06,120
The radioactivity
is then captured by the mosses.
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00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:13,160
Lacking the protective cuticle found
on the surface of most plant leaves,
231
00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,800
the water is absorbed
into the interior of the moss,
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00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,600
which then stores the contaminants.
233
00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,680
Bryophytes are very sensitive
234
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,240
and respond quickly
to environmental changes.
235
00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:59,400
Mosses are reliable early warning
systems which allow us to measure
236
00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:04,120
the quantity of radioactive
pollution in contamination zones.
237
00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:08,480
If their DNA is damaged
by pollutants,
238
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:13,880
they continue to develop,
even after a nuclear catastrophe.
239
00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:18,560
But that is not all.
240
00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:25,920
Mosses can also auto-regenerate
241
00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:29,200
from a piece of stem
or a damaged leaf.
242
00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:38,640
This miracle is possible thanks to
a cell only found in ferns, algae
243
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:43,320
and moss, which is capable of
reprogramming itself very quickly,
244
00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,000
like a stem cell.
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00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:47,960
Like the heads
of the mythical Hydra,
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00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,920
each tiny,
ripped off fragment of moss
247
00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,160
can give birth to multiple
autonomous clones.
248
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,760
A major asset
when it comes to expanding
249
00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:05,160
and conquering new territories.
250
00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:12,880
But this depends on our little moss
encountering no new pollutants.
251
00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:22,800
Otherwise, it can become very
vulnerable, like here in Iceland,
252
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:24,720
near this geothermal plant
253
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:29,440
that uses volcanic energy
to heat the capital Reykjavik.
254
00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:21,280
To withstand the poisonous Gaussian
plumes, the mosses need help.
255
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:25,800
Magnea has come to their rescue
with an original recipe.
256
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,480
It took her several years
to perfect it.
257
00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,400
First, pick sprigs of moss,
258
00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:37,880
taking care not to leave any holes.
259
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,560
Place the moss in a container
260
00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,320
and carefully disentangle it.
261
00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:58,480
Roughly cut the moss.
262
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,080
A garden strimmer may be used.
263
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:09,600
Pour in gallon after gallon
of fermented milk
264
00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:11,160
and stir thoroughly
265
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:14,760
until you have a unique moss soup.
266
00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:15,960
The mixture is transported
to the site of the damage
267
00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:18,000
and applied by hand.
268
00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,080
A milky crust develops,
269
00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,160
holding the chopped sprigs in place,
270
00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:35,680
and they rapidly multiply.
271
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:50,200
Thanks to Magnea's magic potion...
272
00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:57,040
..and the capacity of the moss
to regenerate,
273
00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:00,840
it will take less than two years
to restore this site.
274
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:24,880
Iceland is a sanctuary for nature.
275
00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:41,080
The country boasts
some strange species of moss.
276
00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:54,360
One of them even breathes.
277
00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:58,640
But is it actually a moss?
278
00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:07,560
The golden plover has a very special
relationship with the mosses
279
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:11,400
that grow on the Icelandic heath.
280
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,720
This bird lays its eggs
in the ground
281
00:36:13,720 --> 00:36:16,680
in a little hollow dug by the male.
282
00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:21,160
At birth, the chicks' down mimics
the moss and its environment.
283
00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:27,560
The golden plovers'
adult plumage is dynamic,
284
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:31,480
but the chicks remain carefully
camouflaged on the heath.
285
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:53,480
In Vietnam, the mimicry is even
more marked in the mossy frog.
286
00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:57,040
There are no soft,
velvety feathers here,
287
00:36:57,040 --> 00:37:00,080
but a slimy, knobbled epidermis.
288
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:09,440
When in danger,
this amphibian freezes
289
00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:13,080
and imitates a bryophyte
to hide from its predators.
290
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:28,880
The fox is also a valued friend
to a certain species of moss
291
00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,120
that only grow on fox excrement.
292
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:46,040
Tetraplodon belongs to one of the
most elegant moss families on Earth,
293
00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:49,280
but has a taste for faeces
and putrefaction.
294
00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:54,960
It is also capable
of olfactive mimicry,
295
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,840
giving off a perfect imitation
of fox excrement odour...
296
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,600
..to attract coprophagic flies.
297
00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:07,040
This is an effective collaboration
with the insect,
298
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:10,920
allowing the moss to spread
its spores by proxy into the wild.
299
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,000
A unique feature amongst mosses
300
00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,680
and a fine example of collaboration
301
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,880
and co-evolution between species.
302
00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:31,200
It reveals an aptitude in mosses
to adapt in order to survive...
303
00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:37,120
..provided they do not
run into any obstacles.
304
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,640
Humans are hindering
the spread of mosses
305
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:50,000
and have declared war on them.
306
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,040
In many countries,
307
00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:55,440
they are considered parasitic plants
308
00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:59,440
associated with mould and decay.
309
00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:03,200
They eliminate the mosses
with chemical herbicides,
310
00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:09,720
which are also toxic for the wider
environment and even for humans.
311
00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:21,680
A researcher at
the Sorbonne University in Paris
312
00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:25,080
may have found a formula
that could change this approach.
313
00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:31,840
Emmanuel Baudouin is working
on a patent for a natural herbicide.
314
00:39:55,880 --> 00:40:00,760
The adventure began in 2017
when Bastien Nay, a chemist,
315
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,120
asked Emmanuel Baudouin
to work with him
316
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:08,000
on a naturally occurring
molecule - Radulanin A.
317
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:14,960
It comes from Radula,
a common moss found in our forests.
318
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:17,320
They discovered that this molecule
319
00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:20,480
possesses amazing
herbicidal properties.
320
00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:59,000
Emmanuel Baudouin
chose a tiny flowering plant
321
00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,520
as a subject for his experiment.
322
00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:06,480
Thale cress.
It is considered a weed.
323
00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:14,280
He asked his team to mix the
Radulanin molecule from the moss
324
00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:18,080
with the samples of thale cress
in a liquid solution.
325
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:24,640
The objective of the experiment was
to test the herbicidal properties
326
00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:27,880
of Radulanin A on the cress plant.
327
00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:18,680
It is an ironic twist
that this moss
328
00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:23,320
could someday contribute
to the elimination of other mosses.
329
00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:25,440
Even though we cannot explain why,
330
00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:29,920
it possesses the same devastating
capacities as glyphosate.
331
00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:34,640
Mosses, long overlooked by science,
332
00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:37,560
are gradually yielding up
their secrets,
333
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:41,480
and new fields of exploration
are opening up for researchers.
334
00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:54,320
On the majestic, wild
Japanese island of Yakushima,
335
00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:57,400
the mosses communicate
with the trees.
336
00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:08,040
The mountain is covered by a forest
of 1,000-year-old trees,
337
00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,600
and is home to the yakusugi...
338
00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,240
..giant cedar trees
which are considered sacred.
339
00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:21,240
It is also a realm of mosses.
340
00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:31,480
A pilgrimage site for bryologists
from all over the world.
341
00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:41,040
In this fairy tale undergrowth
inhabited by deer and macaques...
342
00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:46,760
..the mosses absorb considerable
quantities of water
343
00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:50,760
which they redistribute
to the roots of the tall trees.
344
00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:56,320
The thousands of species
of moss thriving here
345
00:43:56,320 --> 00:43:58,680
still have many secrets to reveal.
346
00:44:02,240 --> 00:44:05,920
Some protect the giant cedar trees
from pathogenic bacteria
347
00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:09,160
thanks to their
antibacterial properties.
348
00:44:09,160 --> 00:44:10,800
Like guardians,
349
00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:15,800
they have a considerable effect
on the habitat that they colonise.
350
00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:21,560
This antibacterial action shows
just how much science could learn
351
00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:26,160
from these mosses
in the search for new medicines.
352
00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:30,440
These tiny plants,
too long overlooked,
353
00:44:30,440 --> 00:44:36,040
could play a pivotal role
in unexpected fields of science.
354
00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:50,560
In one of Europe's oldest
observatories in Copenhagen,
355
00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:53,560
astrophysicist Jophiel Wiis
356
00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:56,520
and his colleagues
on the SpaceMoss programme
357
00:44:56,520 --> 00:44:59,080
have genetically modified a moss.
358
00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:08,960
His goal is to study the moss'
capacity to survive
359
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:12,280
in the hostile environment on Mars.
360
00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:18,200
When you do space travel,
361
00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:21,240
every kilo that you bring into orbit
362
00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:24,360
or to another planet
is immensely expensive.
363
00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:27,720
And just the medicine alone
for a three-year journey
364
00:45:27,720 --> 00:45:30,080
where you want to make sure
that people are healthy
365
00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:33,400
and come back safe,
you need so much medicine,
366
00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:37,240
so much food, so much equipment
and supplies, so much of everything.
367
00:45:37,240 --> 00:45:42,600
And if we can make a moss
that is capable of producing
368
00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:46,880
certain types of medicine, then you
just have to bring a little patch
369
00:45:46,880 --> 00:45:49,600
of the moss
that can produce penicillin
370
00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:53,080
or whatever compound you're after.
371
00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:58,200
In the near future,
moss could produce medicine
372
00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:01,440
that astronauts
could cultivate on Mars.
373
00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:05,520
On the condition, of course, that
Wiis' genetically modified moss
374
00:46:05,520 --> 00:46:09,120
survives the Martian environment.
375
00:46:09,120 --> 00:46:13,560
So how can the moss' resistance
be tested on Earth?
376
00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:16,040
The members
of the SpaceMoss laboratory
377
00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:20,280
at the National Institute of
Copenhagen came up with a solution.
378
00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:27,560
They designed a machine
379
00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:31,520
that artificially reproduces
the Martian environment.
380
00:46:34,440 --> 00:46:39,320
On Mars you need something that's
very, very harsh and resilient.
381
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:43,240
Mosses can survive
a lot of extreme situations.
382
00:46:43,240 --> 00:46:46,920
They don't grow very fast, but...
383
00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:50,400
..they just stick around
when other things die.
384
00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:54,040
And that's something you need
if you want to go to space.
385
00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:56,840
OK, so we have the moss.
386
00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:58,640
And the Mars Chamber.
387
00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:00,920
And then we have the sluice here.
388
00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:03,800
Which is the entrance
to the Mars volume.
389
00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:09,080
And in here we can place
the moss...in the sluice.
390
00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:16,160
Then we can go over here.
391
00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:19,400
The sluice port...
392
00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:30,760
Get the moss into the main chamber.
393
00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:34,560
Close up the sluice port again,
all the way.
394
00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:39,600
When the airlock closes,
395
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:42,840
the chamber becomes
completely airtight.
396
00:47:42,840 --> 00:47:45,760
The moss then experiences
a simulation
397
00:47:45,760 --> 00:47:49,280
of extreme atmospheric
conditions on Mars.
398
00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:56,400
Pump in a lot of CO2 in order to
simulate the Martian atmosphere.
399
00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:58,720
That's over here.
400
00:47:58,720 --> 00:48:00,120
And on...
401
00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:08,960
That creates a vacuum inside
of the tiny chamber.
402
00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:11,240
So we have the Martian atmosphere
in the whole chamber
403
00:48:11,240 --> 00:48:14,840
and then we have a tiny volume
where you also have the pressure,
404
00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:16,840
or the lack of pressure.
405
00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:25,120
That's the UV lamp turning on. And
then we have a Martian atmosphere.
406
00:48:25,120 --> 00:48:27,840
Inside the chamber,
we have the Martian pressure,
407
00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:30,200
the Martian radiation,
the temperature,
408
00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:33,640
and if we also want Martian soil
and perchlorates,
409
00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:38,200
we can put it under the sample
that we put into the chamber.
410
00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:46,320
It is as if Jophiel's moss has been
transported 70 million kilometres,
411
00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:49,680
and he can observe all the effects
of the Martian environment
412
00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:51,480
on the moss plant.
413
00:48:56,200 --> 00:48:59,600
And that's a very good
simulation of Mars.
414
00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:08,440
Jophiel's modified moss survive
temperature swings found on Mars,
415
00:49:08,440 --> 00:49:11,920
which can range from +25 degrees
416
00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:17,360
to -120 degrees Celsius
in a single night.
417
00:49:17,360 --> 00:49:20,280
The first stage of the research
has been completed.
418
00:49:25,720 --> 00:49:29,160
NASA is interested
in the SpaceMoss programme
419
00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:32,440
and has contacted the laboratory.
420
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:36,880
Jophiel is a candidate to join
the European Space Agency
421
00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:41,640
and one day hopes to test
his mosses in outer space.
422
00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:45,680
So we think of the Earth
as the blue planet
423
00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:47,560
and we think of Mars
as the red planet.
424
00:49:47,560 --> 00:49:50,400
But I think it would be so cool if,
in hundreds of years,
425
00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:53,400
we would be looking up at Mars
and thinking about it
426
00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:57,080
as the green planet, because mosses
had covered the entire surface.
427
00:49:57,080 --> 00:50:01,600
It may or may not happen,
but I think it would be awesome.
428
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:05,800
But to me, personally,
I think travelling into space
429
00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:07,480
and going to other planets
430
00:50:07,480 --> 00:50:11,760
and becoming a multiplanetary
species is just...
431
00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:13,800
..such a romantic idea.
432
00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:29,960
For Jophiel, mosses might help
open doors to interplanetary travel.
433
00:50:31,200 --> 00:50:35,800
These were the first plants to
successfully colonise our planet.
434
00:50:37,680 --> 00:50:41,120
Could this scenario
repeat itself elsewhere?
435
00:50:47,600 --> 00:50:51,480
In the course of evolution,
mosses have acquired the capacity
436
00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:57,080
to resist extreme temperatures,
pollution and radiation.
437
00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:06,160
Understanding their versatility
and resistance
438
00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:09,280
could lead us towards
future discoveries
439
00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:14,760
and allow us to imagine
new scientific perspectives.
440
00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:18,360
These magical mosses work wonders
441
00:51:18,360 --> 00:51:23,320
and we are only beginning
to understand their secrets.
35110
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