The toughest microbe could not survive on Mars.
Radiation from the universe hits the surface. The temperature is very cold. A cup of water would quickly evaporate in the dry environment.
The hardy microbes could have lived for millions of years. By avoiding the threats from above, this life may have lived until today. The professor of pathology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences said there was no escape unless you were buried under the surface.
If buried underground, Deinococcus radiodurans could survive for millions of years, according to new research by a team of scientists. The further down you go, the more protection you get. The scientists found that D. radiodurans could survive 1.5 million years of radiation. The microbe was buried at a depth of 30 feet. It was a shocking amount of time.
It's been over 260 million years. The tiny organisms were shown no mercy. The cells were exposed to very high levels of radiation. When dried and frozen in Mars-like conditions, D. radiodurans can tolerate 140,000 grays of radiation. The amount of radiation that would kill someone is 28,000 times greater.
The barren Mars surface is lifeless today. There is a chance that a radiation-resistant microbe like D. radiodurans could evolve on Mars.
"It's so important for us to recognize that life is so tenacious."
Microbial life thrives in the uninviting underground realm. According to Amy Williams, an astronomer at the University of Florida who was not involved in the new research, life is found in the bedrock.
Williams works on NASA's Mars Perseverance and Curiosity rover missions. We could be a long way from discovering our planetary neighbors.
The hardy microbe D. radiodurans growing on a plate. Credit: Michael Daly / USU
"Conan the Bacterium" is the name of the microbe.
This microbe can repair broken apart genetic material when it's exposed to ionizing radiation. Chemicals that protect them from radiation are produced by thesebacteria. You don't have to go far to find them. It's everywhere they are. They are in the ground. They are found in our stomach and gastrointestinal tract.
There is a chance that D. radiodurans could survive for 1.2 million years. It had never been done to test D. radiodurans in a truly underground Martian-like environment. It has been this way until now. The researchers dried out the microbes. They zapped the frozen and dry D. radiodurans.
All previous records of ionizing radiation resistance have been broken.
"There's no escape unless you're deeply buried in the surface."
While a microbe like D. radiodurans may only last a few hours on the surface, underground it may last for a long time.
It gives us context for how life could have lived on Mars.
It takes hundreds of millions of years to survive as a frozen microbe. It is possible that the microbes could reanimate when conditions change. NASA scientists were able to thaw ice agebacteria that had been frozen for over 30,000 years. There was a frozen life.
There is a question about how a Martianbacteria could thaw and reanimate. Mars is frequently hit with rocks. New craters are created because they don't burn up in the thin Martian surface. There are a lot of places where the surface has heated up. There is abundant ice in parts of Mars. The temporary environment created by this all creates an inviting environment forMicrobes to once again repopulate and spread The organisms are likely to freeze again and go into hiding.
An artist's conception of the Rosalind Franklin rover (formerly called "ExoMars") on Mars. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover drilled a 6.70 centimeter borehole into the ground in July 2022 to collect a sample. Credit: NASA
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There is a chance that a robotic mission could find frozen life on the Red Planet. The European Space Agency's much-awaited Rosalind Franklin rover will drill a couple meters below the surface in order to find signs of past or present life on the Red Planet. The Rosalind Franklin rover is capable of searching for evidence of past life on Mars thanks to its drill and laboratory. It will be the first rover to drill below the surface and the first to use wheel-walking to overcome obstacles.
Such a mission is a big leap in the attempt to find life. "You're looking for something that's still going on," said Williams. Some of these cells could be detected if you pulled them up.
NASA's Mars Sample Return Program will blast rocks back to Earth. The new research shows that we should be careful.
There is no evidence that living organisms exist outside of Earth. It's not known if we'll ever find compelling evidence, but we are looking for signs of life. Microbes thrive in extreme places. Lightless places. There are hot springs. In liquid form. In trash. Why not under the surface of the planet Mars?
Williams said thatMicrobes are resilient. If it is possible they will find a way.
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