Bacteria Could Survive In Martian Soil

Dagondanum writes "Multiple missions have been sent to Mars with the hopes of testing the surface of the planet for life — or the conditions that could create life. The question of whether life in the form of bacteria (or something even more exotic) exists on Mars is hotly debated, and still lacks a definitive yes or no. Experiments done right here on Earth that simulate the conditions on Mars and their effects on terrestrial bacteria show that it is entirely possible for certain strains of bacteria to weather the harsh environment of Mars." Perhaps this is something that will be tested further in a few years by the Mars Science Lab, also known as "Curiosity" and (as reader Nova1021 points out) "the Mars Action Hero."

Comments

What are we waiting for?

[Wonko the Sane]

Sounds like we should get started with the terraforming.

Re:What are we waiting for?

[MBGMorden]

They're waiting on that definite answer to life existing on Mars. If bacteria can survive there and we seed the planet, then we will never know for sure if life ever existed there independent of our own additions. Anything that we find that might have previously been there would always hold the possibility of just being a mutated strain of the life we sent ourselves.

Re:What are we waiting for?

[spydabyte]

they're waiting for a reason. Tell me the target market for "it's just awesome." and "why not?"

Until we see an intergalactic threat, I doubt we'll see the kind of R&D needed to really accomplish this.

Re:What are we waiting for?

[Metasquares]

That's just the thing - we might not see it until it's too late. One strong gamma ray burst could just wipe us out and we wouldn't even know it was coming until the moment it arrived. It's not about responding to an imminent threat, but being prepared to recover from one that may occur at a later time. Right now all of our data is on one hard drive. We need to make a backup.

Re:What are we waiting for?

[CorporateSuit]

My father has a mutant strain of Vinca in his yard. We've found plants living for more than 6 months without water, light, and under extreme temperature swings (They were completely white, and were found practically boiling in their own juice when we uncovered them, but still very much alive) and some sections of the yard thrive on nothing but a steady supply of herbicides. That and the spearamint plants that cannot ever seem to be extinguished no matter how much they're cut down, dug up, and flattened, and the wild blackberries in the Southeast portion of his yard that made me think "Day of the Triffids" was a documentary of my life growing up. I always thought we should send samples of these plants to NASA for their consideration in terraforming anything.

The more I think about it, the less I'm convinced my dad is Batman, and the more I'm convinced my mom is Poison Ivy.

Re:What are we waiting for?

[ElectricTurtle]

Any extrasolar threat large enough to COMPLETELY sterilize Earth is likely to do the same to Mars.

(Not that I otherwise disagree with the sentiment.)

FP

[4D6963]

Allow me to be the first to point out that we already know that some bacteria can survive interplanetary space travel and life on the Moon.

Now the real question is, can these bacterias be formed on Mars?

Re:FP

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

How is Bacterium formed?

How mars get pragnent?

Re:FP

[Daniel_Staal]

They are probably using a slightly different definition of 'survive' in this case: instead of just holing up in the equivalent of a bacterium space suit, they feed, grow, and reproduce.

Re:FP

[reverseengineer]

No, it looks like the same definition- the bacteria that survived did so by forming desiccated, nondividing endospores. The article mentions that the bacteria which didn't protect themselves with the endospore stage died within minutes. The two strains of bacteria they tested are of particular importance because they have been known to survive the Jet Propulsion Lab standard decontamination procedures, and so could take a trip to Mars. This paper describes some of the DNA repair mechanisms that B. pumilus uses to survive under adverse conditions.

Re:FP

[Anonymous Coward]

How is Bacterium formed?

How mars get pragnent?

They need to do way instain shuttle. It was on the news this mroning, A bacteria in mars consumed its three cell divsions. They are takign the three cell waslls back to the earth to lady to rest. My pary are with the sceintists, i am truely sorry for your lots.

Re:FP

[mikael]

If bacteria can survive in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere, and chunks of atmosphere can be blown away by the solar wind, is it possible that such bacteria could make the journey from Earth to Mars?

Re:FP

[ElectricTurtle]

Apparently you've never heard of Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development.

Survive and reproduce?

[pifactorial]

To my knowledge many species of bacteria can survive indefinitely in practically any environment, but not while actively metabolizing. I am curious whether any of the species the article is talking about could actually survive and spread, if they would just stick around for a while and die out, or if they would only survive in a dormant state.

Re:Survive and reproduce?

[careysub]

To my knowledge many species of bacteria can survive indefinitely in practically any environment, but not while actively metabolizing. I am curious whether any of the species the article is talking about could actually survive and spread, if they would just stick around for a while and die out, or if they would only survive in a dormant state.

Bacteria definitely exist on Earth that can reproduce under conditions that exist somewhere on Mars, an example are the chemosynthetic bacteria found deep underground and are nourished by geothermal energy: http://www.planetary.org/news/2006/1027_Bacteria_Found_Thriving_Deep.html

What this study is establishing is whether it is possible to recover viable organisms from the near-surface soil. Such organisms might thrive below the reach of the surface lander's probes, but still have inactive spores brought to near the surface through water welling up from deeper down (and possibly other processes). Evidence of surface water outflows have been found in various spots on Mars.

First Martian Explorer

[GargamelSpaceman]

Buzz Lightyear steps off his lander to be the first human being on Mars. Six hours later, he is a puddle of goo. Two hours after that, all his crewmates are puddles of goo as well.

Re:First Martian Explorer

[jameskojiro]

Welcome to Mars, Bring plenty of Lysol...

Re:First Martian Explorer

[Anonymous Coward]

Buzz Lightyear steps off his lander to be the first human being on Mars.
Six hours later, he is a puddle of goo. Two hours after that, all his crewmates are puddles of goo as well.

If they figure out how to send radio signals it would be like ordering in pizza. It could end up a form spam e-mail. "Come to Mars we have a source of limitless energy", "Martians aren't bald we have a hair loss cure", "Viagra plants are a form of subsurface weed, free for the taking", "horny Martian women want to meet you", "prince of Mars needs help transferring money off planet, bring suitcases and lot of fat juicy people to carry them".

Re:Surviving != life arising

[careysub]

The fact that modern bacteria can survive in those conditions says nothing about whether life could arise or even evolve there. Its a bit like assuming that because cockroaches can survive high doses of radiation there's potential for a 6 legged lifeform to arise inside nuclear reactors.

There are at least two serious problems with the objections offered above. First, no one supposes that life arose under conditions anything like Mars today, anymore than people suppose that new life is arising de novo on Earth today. Life would have arisen long ago under radically different (warmer and more moist) conditions. Second, not every study addresses all aspects of every question of science. In fact, none of them do! Criticizing a study for not examining a radically different question, not amenable to laboratory examination, and only distantly related to the one under study is simply perverse.

The point is: it does say something about whether viable Martian bacteria (if they exist) could be recovered from the near surface soil.

Re:Epic Fail?

[AmonTheMetalhead]

Hello DNA!

Nice...

[moogoogaipan]

Now, Matians will think we are creating a biological warfare. Well, it's been nice to post on /. over the past few years. See you all on the other side.

Re:Epic Fail?

[Cocoronixx]

If that is the case then we have already failed. Any number of bacteria could have survived on the rovers could now be contaminating the surface. With no known competition they could be flourishing. I see little that can be done to figure out what is now native bacteria (if any) and what was brought via the rovers.

Wow! Too bad the NASA/ESA scientists weren't as smart as you, because if they were they would have put policies in place to mitigate the risks of contamination.

Anti-anthropo-centric thinking

[giladpn]

Why do we expect or hope that earth-like life forms will be found elsewhere?

The question of whether life in the form of bacteria (or something even more exotic) exists on Mars is hotly debated, and still requires a resolute yes or no

Ho hummm... We have had this debate going on since the "canals" were discovered on mars only to be debunked.

Once upon a time 600 years ago, people "knew" they are at the center of the universe. We were unique, chosen by heaven to lord it over the animals and created in the image of heaven. That was the view of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and also of the eastern empires (remember the "Emperor of Heaven") ?

Nowadays there is a large substantial minority of people whose thinking is guided by science. For this very substantial minority - debunking the "humans are at the center" myth is an article of faith. Finding the aliens - little green men or bacteria on mars - is important as an act of faith not just science.

It is important to separate real empirical science from the pseudo-science that is really an alternative system of belief. If we just look at empirical facts, the probability of finding life twice in the same solar system is not huge.

Anthropo-centric theology/philosophy was rightly debunked by Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin and Einstein.

Anti-anthropo-centric thinking equally deserves to be debunked. Science is about empirical evidence. Full stop.

Re:Anti-anthropo-centric thinking

[ElectricTurtle]

What is your point? Most researchers have 'expectations' or 'hopes' about their research, that's what peer review is for, to make sure that their personal biases don't get the best of them. Why shouldn't we hope? And aside from your sociological anecdotes, why too should we not expect? I'll grant that the existence of adapted extremophile life forms on Earth is not in of itself credible as a foundation for thinking that such hardy things would spontaneously form out of the gate, but that's assuming that all life forms locally. There remains the possibility that very hardy strains can travel through space on debris.

I think any rational person would take exception to you claiming that a probability model about the formation of life (based on a sample size of ... ONE) as an 'empirical fact'. That would suggest you don't really know what empiricism is. Until we have surveyed larger portions of Mars and other parts of the solar system in greater detail, there are no 'empirical facts' about the presence or lack of life in any form.

Re:Anti-anthropo-centric thinking

[Joe Tie.]

Finding the aliens - little green men or bacteria on mars - is important as an act of faith not just science.

And that's where I think the flaw in your argument is. If it was faith, there wouldn't be a need to search for proof. The people on the other side are quite content to say "because, that's why".

Re:Anti-anthropo-centric thinking

[TapeCutter]

"If we just look at empirical facts, the probability of finding life twice in the same solar system is not huge."

Hey Eienstien, that's not an emprical fact. It's not even a statistic, it's an anecdote, a single data point from a virtually infinite population of solar systems.

What are we waiting..?

[cpscotti]

We should just send containers full of bacterias and wild things there... and see what grows.. In fact I think we should send bacteria-filled pods to as many planets/asteroids we can afford to.. this should be cheap.. Populate the whole thing..
Rather than maintaining the question "is there life out there?" we should just force the most pleasant answer:
"Yes.. and we did it!"

methane on mars

[Gearoid_Murphy]

The levels of Methane on Mars are much higher than expected http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars#Methane . If bacertia could easily survive under the soil in the red planet, than that could explain the source of methane.