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Rusavskia elegans
Origin: Saint André en Vivarais - Ardèche - Altitude: 1000m
Origin: Col de l'Iseran - Savoie - Altitude 2800m

This beautiful crustose lichen can vary from bright orange to red, depending on the altitude where it grows.
Accustomed to extreme climates, he was subjected to the living conditions on Mars, and retained all his faculties.
It is part of a program of the International Space Station, for the production of hydrogen in space shuttles which would allow energy autonomy, therefore the possibility of going further thanks to the photosynthesis of this lichen.




Photo credit: Hervé Cochini
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