How an ancient plant took over the world

It’s in sidewalk cracks, clinging on roofs, blanketing tree trunks, and carpeting forest floors.

Moss even grows on rocks.

To figure out how moss spread across the globe, a team of scientists studied one of the most common mosses, fire moss (Ceratodon pupureus).

The distribution of fire moss matched up with global wind patterns.

That time period can probably be explained by spores getting caught in regional wind patterns, the study’s lead author Elisabeth Biersma said in a statement.

The new research will help us better understand how other small organisms, like bacteria, spread around the globe.