Laura Selbmann

Cryomyces minteri is a fungus of uncertain placement in the class Dothideomycetes, division Ascomycota. The rock-inhabiting fungus that was discovered in the McMurdo Dry Valleys located in Antarctica, on fragments of rock colonized by a local cryptoendolithic community. In 2008, Cryomyces minteri and Cryomyces antarcticus were simultaneously tested in low Earth orbit conditions on the EXPOSE-E facility on the EuTEF (European Technology Exposure Facility) platform outside the International Space Station for 18 months. It was also tested in a space vacuum along with polychromatic UV radiation

Cryomyces antarcticus is a fungus of uncertain placement in the class Dothideomycetes, division Ascomycota. Found in Antarctica, it was described as new to science in 2005. It has been found to be able to survive the harsh outer space environment and cosmic radiation. A proposed mechanistic contributor to the unique resilience observed in C. antarcticus is the presence of its thick and highly melanized cell walls. This melanin may act to protect DNA from damage while C. antarcticus is exposed to conditions that are unsuitable for typical DNA repair systems to function.

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Antarctolichenia is a monospecific fungal genus in the family Phaeococcomycetaceae, containing the single species Antarctolichenia onofrii. Described in 2023 by Laura Selbmann and Lucia Muggia, this endolithic fungus is found exclusively in rock-inhabiting communities in continental Antarctica, particularly in Victoria Land. Antarctolichenia onofrii is notable for its dimorphic growth, exhibiting both yeast-like and filamentous forms, and for its evolutionary position between non-lichenised and lichen-forming fungi. While capable of independent growth, it occasionally associates with

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