New research shows that one of Earth's toughest microbes could live on Mars for over two centuries. There is a higher probability of life on the Red Planet.
One of the world's toughest organisms is called "Conan the Bacterium" and can survive in radiation strong enough to kill any other life-form. Experiments have shown that if a similar microbe existed on Mars, it could live for over two centuries.
The study was led by a professor of pathology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland and a member of the National Academies. The organisms were exposed to high-energy protons and ultraviolet light at temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
After the organisms had been exposed to various levels of radiation, the team measured how much-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873-8873--8873 The more radiation a person is exposed to, the more smilng antioxidants form and the more resistant the organisms are to it.
The winner was the Bacterium, by the way. According to the researchers, the Bacterium can absorb as much as 28,000 times more radiation than a human can. The measurement allowed the team to estimate how long the microbe could live on the red planet.
It had been shown in previous experiments that the Bacterium could survive for 1.2 million years on Mars.
If buried at a depth of 33 feet, the Bacterium would be able to survive for over 300 million years on Mars. If buried just 4 inches below the surface and just a few hours on the surface, the lifespan is reduced to 1.5 million years.
Since Mars has experienced dramatic climate change, there are ways life could have found environments in which to flourish.
He said that Deinococcus radiodurans could not survive for 2 to 2.5 billion years after the water disappeared on Mars. Periodic melting can allow intermittent repopulation and dispersal.
The Jezero crater, where the Perseverance rover is working, is 3.8 billion years old. Tooting crater is thought to be hundreds of thousands of years old, and it is one of the younger craters.
It was determined that the Bacterium is resistant to radiation. The scientists found that chromosomes and plasmids, which carry genetic information in the microbe's cells, are linked together and prevent irradiated cells from breaking down until they can be repaired.
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It is possible that the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover, which will dig deep into Mars in search of life on the Red Planet, could find a cousin of the Bacterium.
Experiments on the International Space Station have shown that the Bacterium can live for at least three years in space. We need to be careful not to cause harm to Earth.
Future Red Planet missions, both crewed and robotic, need to be aware of the risks of messing with Mars.
Both Mars and Earth should be avoided because our model organisms are proxies for both of them.
The process of sterilizing robotic missions to Mars is not perfect and some organisms can still hitch a ride to the red planet. If human beings visit Mars, they will bring many more microbes with them, which could cause problems for experiments looking for life on the red planet.
Scientists will need to ask more questions about how we can protect any potential life that we find on Mars, as experiments such as this increase the chances of indigenous life existing on the planet.
A paper detailing the study was published in the journal Astrobiology.
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