Scientists are becoming increasingly determined to find viable, sustainable ways to locate, save and recycle water. One search has led scientists to Tortula ruralis, a moss group capable of surviving as long as 100 years without water. During dry periods, these mosses stop photosynthesising and write a set of genetic instructions so they can spring back to life as soon as a water source returns. Similarly resilient are the microscopic creatures known as rotifers that live inside the moss. Scientists hope they might be able to borrow from the rotifers’ genetic code to engineer crops that could repair themselves after a dry spell.
Will life-forms that can go a century without water save crops from droughts?
Producer: Gabriela Quirós
Website: Deep Look
24 July 2015
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