Lichens, often mistaken for moss, are harmless organisms that grow on various surfaces, including trees. Annual cicadas, not periodical cicadas, are responsible for the cicada sounds heard in central ...

Lichens are nearly everywhere — odd growths that appear as crusty patches and splotches on tree trunks, limbs, rocks, bare soil, stone walls, tombstones, wooden fences. Regardless, lichens often get ...

Most planetary scientists agree that Mars’ extreme conditions would be uninhabitable to life as we know it. New research, however, suggests that we might be underestimating the hardiness of lichens.

Lichen from the Mojave Desert has stunned scientists by surviving months of lethal UVC radiation, suggesting life could exist on distant planets orbiting volatile stars. The secret? A microscopic ...