Mariusz Wierzgoń, a PhD student at the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection of the University of Silesia, is studying the history of Antarctic land ecosystems, using molecular biology.

The use of molecular biology in the study of mosses will allow to check whether Antarctic endemics have been emigrated from a relatively close land – for example, spreading from subantarctic islands, or perhaps survived in Antarctica since the times when South America, Africa, India, Australia, Antarctica and the south-eastern part Asia created one supercontinent – Gondwana.

Until recently, scientists believed that in colder periods on Earth some of the continents were tightly covered with ice, which effectively prevented the development of any form of life. Research has shown, however, that even in the most hostile environment, oases may appear in which certain plants can survive unfavorable times.