Growth of Cryomyces antarcticus on agar plate.
From Sterflinger et al. 2014. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Cryomyces antarcticus was sequenced as part of the 1000 Fungal Genomes Project. The 1000 Fungal Genomes Project aims to fill in gaps in the Fungal Tree of Life by sequencing at least two reference genomes from the more than 500 recognized families of Fungi. This project additionally aims to inform research on plant-microbe interactions, microbial emission and capture of greenhouse gasses, and environmental metagenomic sequencing.

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.