Sunburst Lichen

Sunburst lichen's brilliant orange color comes from parietin, a compound that acts as sunscreen against intense UV radiation. This allows it to thrive in extreme environments - alpine peaks, arctic tundra, and even the exterior of the International Space Station, where it survived 18 months of exposure to space vacuum and cosmic radiation.

Xanthoria elegans demonstrated that the lichen symbiosis is robust enough to survive conditions beyond Earth. This has implications for astrobiology and planetary protection. The business parallel is stress-testing that reveals unexpected resilience - products or organizations that perform in extreme conditions far beyond their design specifications, revealing hidden robustness.