Free Republic

...When astronauts venture on a spacewalk, hours are spent preparing protective suits to survive the hostile conditions. No effort was made to protect the bacteria, seeds, lichen and algae attached to the outside of the Space Station, however. .... Lichen have proven to be tough cookies -- back on Earth, some species continue to grow normally.

A newly discovered species of lichen — a plant-like growth that looks like moss or a dry leaf — has been named after President Obama. Kerry Knudsen, lichen curator of the University of California, Riverside Herbarium, discovered the species in 2007 while doing a survey for lichen diversity on Santa Rosa Island in California. "I named it Caloplaca obamae to show my appreciation for the president's support of science and science education," he said. "I made the final collections of C. obamae during the suspenseful final weeks of President Obama's campaign for the United States presidency."

2500-year-old Winged Man of Pasargadae threatened by cold and lichen Tehran Times Culture Desk TEHRAN (MNA) -- The director of the Pasargadae Historical Cultural Complex said here on Sunday that the stone relief of the Winged Man at the ancient site has been seriously damaged by the cold and lichen and other environmental factors. “Experts began to study the detrimental effects two years ago after some cracks were observed on the relief,” added Babak Kial. The Winged Man, considered to be Cyrus the Great by some archaeologists and historians, is a relief of a standing man with four wings who...

Scientists Say Weight-Loss Substance May Have Caused Elk Deaths in Wyoming Mar 25, 2004 By Mead Gruver/ Associated Press Writer / CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A substance found in some weight-loss diet supplements - and in a type of lichen - may have fatally poisoned more than 300 elk in Wyoming in recent weeks, scientists say. Scientists theorize the substance, usnic acid, may have caused the animals to weaken and collapse - too helpless to eat, drink or escape predators. The chemical was extracted from tumbleweed shield lichen, which grows on the ground in many northern states. Captive elk fed...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A lichen native to the Rockies has been blamed for the deaths of at least 300 elk in southern Wyoming, a mystery that had baffled wildlife scientists and cost the state thousands of dollars, the state said Monday. Wildlife veterinarians had suspected the lichen after finding it in the stomachs of many of the elk that died in south-central Wyoming.To confirm their suspicions, three elk were fed the lichen at research facility. One collapsed and was unable to rise Sunday, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said. A second elk also started stumbling and a third...