Can we learn from moss? We tend to ignore it — or try to get rid of it. But a new study reveals that the strange, spongy plant might be a key asset in the fight against climate change.
The humble spongy superhero beneath your feet
Can we learn from moss? We tend to ignore it - or try to get rid of it. But a new study reveals that the strange, spongy plant might be a key asset in the fight against climate change.
Gardeners have many foes: weeds, snails, squirrels, volesA small rodent which burrows. . But their most cunning enemy might be moss: the bizarre ancient plant that turns lawns into clumpy, discoloured messes.
A recent global survey, however, suggests the gardeners are wrong. Moss is actually a miracleSomething amazing or wonderful. It is a very unusual event. plant. It fights air pollutionThe presence in the air of harmful or poisonous substances. Air pollution can cause many health problems. , cools down air, keeps soil healthy and helps other plants to grow.1
Mosses have a unique structure, with no roots, flowers or stems. While most plants use roots to absorb air and water, mosses do so with their entire bodies.
This makes them incredible at absorbing air pollution. Some moss species can suck in the chemicals in car exhaust fumes, while others can remove heavy metals from the air.2
They are also natural sponges. They can slurp up and store up to 20 times their weight in water. When this evaporates, it can cool the air around by up to 2 degrees C.
It even has an amazing ability to freeze time. Centuries-old human bodies have been found preserved in mossy bogs.3
According to environmental biologist Robin Wall Kimmerer, mosses are: "the most overlooked plants on the planet. But they're gifts, too. They provide us with another model of how we might live."
Kimmerer fell in love with moss as a student. Now she thinks that they can offer lessons for our future. Mosses are the oldest land plants on Earth, with the first examples dating back 450 million years. They have survived millennia of changing climate.
Mosses have often proven useful to humans. Ancient mountain people lined their boots and gloves with mosses for insulation. Fishermen have used moss to clean caught salmon. Doctors in World War OneA war that included many European countries between 1914 and 1918. used peat moss to help heal wounds.4
Yet while mosses are amazing, they are difficult for us to copy. When they face hostile climates, they can dehydrateLose a large amount of water. themselves and freeze until a better time comes. We have no similar way to wait out global warming.
Kimmerer is certain that "the evolutionary creativity of the plant world will renew itself" as the planet heats up. But will humans be around to witness the mossy new world? She says: "I have less faith in that."
<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Can we learn from moss?</strong></h5>
Yes: Plants can teach us to think differently. As naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote: "By the mediation of a thousand little mosses and fungi, the most unsightly objects become radiant of beauty."
No: Moss is a strange, beautiful, remarkable plant. But it is also fundamentally a very different organism to ourselves. None of its lessons can stop the environmental crisis that threatens our world.
Or... The great boon of human life is that we can learn from almost everything. Moss is no exception. But there are plenty of other plants and natural phenomena that can teach us just as much or more.
Voles - A small rodent which burrows.
Miracle - Something amazing or wonderful. It is a very unusual event.
Air pollution - The presence in the air of harmful or poisonous substances. Air pollution can cause many health problems.
World War One - A war that included many European countries between 1914 and 1918.
Dehydrate - Lose a large amount of water.
The humble spongy superhero beneath your feet

Glossary
Voles - A small rodent which burrows.
Miracle - Something amazing or wonderful. It is a very unusual event.
Air pollution - The presence in the air of harmful or poisonous substances. Air pollution can cause many health problems.
World War One - A war that included many European countries between 1914 and 1918.
Dehydrate - Lose a large amount of water.