Scientific American
The Moss That Lives under a Rock
Jennifer Frazer · 2 October 2020
“If you lived in a desert, you’d probably want to live under a rock, too.”
Media & Press
MEEP in the news.
Stories, interviews, podcasts, and creative works featuring MEEP Lab research on desert mosses, quartz shelters, dryland survival, and plant life in extreme environments.
Featured
“Moss Appreciation Week”: a lot of celebration for a very little plant
NPR Morning Edition · Deena Prichep · 14 February 2025
Radio coverage of an annual weeklong event at Lewis & Clark College celebrating mosses, bryophytes, and the communities that notice the small green worlds around us.
Print & Online
Smithsonian Magazine
Desert Moss Beats Heat by Growing Under Quartz Crystals
Alex Fox · 21 August 2020
Researchers find translucent rocks keep moss moist while letting just enough light pass through.
The Guardian
Plantwatch: how a miraculous moss keeps cool in the Mojave desert
Paul Simons · 18 August 2020
Sheltering under translucent quartz stones shields mosses from heat, cold, drought, and UV.
The New York Times
This Moss Uses Quartz as a Parasol
Sabrina Imbler · 29 July 2020
In the Mojave Desert, translucent quartz offers bryophytes respite from the sun.
Berkeley News
Desert mosses use quartz rocks as sun shades
Robert Sanders · 23 July 2020
University news coverage of desert mosses, quartz rocks, and microhabitat survival.
Radio & Podcasts
NPR Morning Edition
“Moss Appreciation Week”: a lot of celebration for a very little plant
Deena Prichep · 14 February 2025
WTF, Biology?
Living under a rock has its merits with Dr. Jenna Ekwealor
Julia Hull · Episode 11 · 19 May 2021
Other
Original Music
Hypolithic
Ben Goldberg · PLAGUE DIARY · 1 August 2020
A clarinet jazz song inspired by hypolithic moss and dedicated to Dr. Kirsten Fisher and Jenna Ekwealor.