Mars: Organisms could survive on the Red Planet for 280 million years, study says

Ancient microbes may have existed for hundreds of millions of years below the earth’s surface. Mars in “hanging animation,” claims a new study.

Experts say a bacterium called Deinococcus radiodurans could have lived on Mars for 280 million years — nearly 300 times longer than previously thought — if it were buried 32 feet below the surface of the Red Planet.

D. radiodurans is also known as the “Conan Bacteria” and “superhero of the bacterial world” because of its resilience, which even earned it the title of “world’s most resilient known bacteria” in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Like a muscular movie hero, he can withstand attacks from acid baths, high and low temperatures, and even doses of radiation.

Although Conan the Bacteria probably does not exist on Mars, the researchers believe that a similar microorganism could exist on the Red Planet for a similar period of time.

Is there life on Mars?  A new study claims that evidence of life may still be hidden and buried under the surface of Mars.

Is there life on Mars? A new study claims that evidence of life may still be hidden and buried under the surface of Mars.

Deinococcus radiodurans (affectionately known as Conan the Bacterium) is particularly well adapted to surviving the harsh environment of Mars.  In experiments, he withstood astronomical amounts of radiation in an icy and arid environment that would be found on Mars.

Deinococcus radiodurans (affectionately known as Conan the Bacterium) is particularly well adapted to surviving the harsh environment of Mars. In experiments, he withstood astronomical amounts of radiation in an icy and arid environment that would be found on Mars.

“CONAN BACTERIA”

Deinococcus radiodurans, also known as the “Conan bacterium”, is a highly resistant bacterial species.

One of the most resilient organisms known, it can survive cold, dehydration, vacuum, acid, and high levels of radiation.

Previous research has shown that D. radiodurans can survive for over a million years in the harsh ionizing radiation of Mars.

But this new study breaks that record by finding that a bacterium can live for 280 million years if buried.

The new study was led by experts from Northwestern University in Illinois and is published today in the journal. Astrobiology.

“Microbial resilience is a key parameter when considering microbial survival in geologic times on the cold and arid surface of Mars,” the experts wrote.

“If Martian life ever existed, even if there are no viable life forms on Mars now… whole viable cells of D. radiodurans could live in the frozen Martian interior for the equivalent of 280 million years.”

Scientists are already well aware that Mars has an incredibly thin atmosphere – about 0.6 percent of Earth’s – which means that it is constantly bombarded by intense galactic cosmic radiation and solar protons.

Any person on its surface will be exposed to the sun and its harmful radiation, and will also be at risk of getting cancer, cardiovascular disease, and “cognitive decrements.”

NASA estimates that during a six-month trip to Mars, an astronaut would be exposed to 300 millisieverts, the equivalent of 24 CT scans.

What’s more, arid and freezing conditions that average -80°F (-63°C) at mid-latitudes make the Red Planet seem inhospitable to life.

To find out if life could survive under these conditions, the team first determined the limits of microbial life surviving under ionizing radiation.

They exposed six species of terrestrial bacteria and fungi to a simulated Martian surface that was frozen and dry and hit them with gamma rays or protons to mimic cosmic rays.

Like a muscular movie character, D. radiodurans (pictured) can withstand exposure to acid baths, high and low temperatures, and even doses of radiation.

Like a muscular movie character, D. radiodurans (pictured) can withstand exposure to acid baths, high and low temperatures, and even doses of radiation.

SIX ORGANISMS

bacteria

– Deinococcus radiodurans

– Escherichia coli

– hay stick

– Bacillus megatherium

– bacillus Thuringian

Yeast

– Saccharomycetes cerevisiae

In addition to Conan the Bacterium, the samples included one yeast, three Bacillus bacteria, and Escherichia coli, a bacterium commonly found in the lower intestines of warm-blooded organisms.

They also exposed the samples to much lower doses that would have occurred if the microorganism had been deeply buried.

The researchers found that the Conan bacterium survived astronomical amounts of radiation in a freezing and arid environment — much longer than Bacillus spores, which can survive on Earth for millions of years.

The researchers found that Conan the Bacterium’s amazing survival is due in part to the bacterium’s genomic structure.

They found that its chromosomes and plasmids—double-stranded DNA molecules—bound to each other, keeping them perfectly aligned and ready to recover from intense radiation.

In previous studies, researchers have found that while in liquid, the Conan bacterium can withstand 25,000 units of radiation (or “grays”), the equivalent of about 1.2 million years directly below the surface of Mars.

But a new study has shown that when a healthy bacterium is dried, frozen, and buried deep, like on Mars, it can withstand 140,000 grays of radiation — 28,000 times more than what can kill a person.

While Conan the Bacteria can only survive on the surface for a few hours bathed in ultraviolet light, its lifespan increases dramatically when it is in the shade or directly below the surface of Mars.

Buried just four inches (10 cm) below the Martian surface, Conan the Bacterium’s survival period is extended to 1.5 million years, and when buried at a depth of 32 feet (10 meters), it can survive for a whopping 280 million years.

This graph from the group's paper shows the resistance of D. radiodurans (Conan bacteria) to gamma radiation in various conditions.

This graph from the group’s paper shows the resistance of D. radiodurans (Conan bacteria) to gamma radiation in various conditions.

The researchers argue that if a Martian microbe similar to the Conan bacterium evolved at a time when water was last flowing on Mars, then its living remains may still slumber in the deep bowels.

The last time water flowed on Mars about two billion years agoaccording to a recent study, but it’s entirely possible that the microbes are frozen in the Martian ice, in suspended animation.

According to study author Professor Michael Daly of the University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, these frozen microbes could be awakened by a meteorite.

“Although D. radiodurans buried in the Martian interior could not have been dormant for about 2-2.5 billion years since running water disappeared on Mars, such a Martian environment is regularly changed and melted by meteorites,” said Professor Daly.

These findings heighten the possibility that if life ever evolved on Mars, its biological remains could be found on future missions, including the Rosalind Franklin rover (pictured here on Mars).

These findings heighten the possibility that if life ever evolved on Mars, its biological remains could be found on future missions, including the Rosalind Franklin rover (pictured here on Mars).

We hypothesize that intermittent melting may lead to discontinuous repopulation and dispersal.

“Furthermore, if Martian life ever existed, even if viable life forms are not currently present on Mars, their macromolecules and viruses would have survived much, much longer.”

Experts say that if such life ever developed on Mars, its biological remains could be found on future Martian missions.

Examples include ExoMars (Rosalind Franklin rover) and Mars Life Explorer, which will carry drills to retrieve materials from 6.5 feet (2 meters) below the surface.

The researchers also caution against contamination of Mars by terrestrial organisms and vice versa, which could be an unintended consequence of such missions.

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY OFFICIALLY SUSPENDS ITS EXOMARS MISSION AND CONFIRMS ITS ROSALIND FRANKLIN ROVER WILL NOT LAUNCH IN 2022 AS PLANNED

The European-denounced rover mission was officially put on hold following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said it would be “impossible” to continue working with Moscow-based space agency Roscosmos on the project, which has been repeatedly delayed since the idea was first approved back in 2005.

The mission, officially known as ExoMars, to send the British rover Rosalind Franklin to the Red Planet, was scheduled for September.

It was supposed to launch from Baikonur (Kazakhstan) on a Russian rocket and land on Mars eight months later using Russian equipment.

However, the entire project is now under threat due to the worsening diplomatic crisis over the war in Ukraine.

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