There are some Earth microbes and molds that could survive on Mars

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ci microbi muffe terra potrebbero sopravvivere marte v3 501485.jpg
ci microbi muffe terra potrebbero sopravvivere marte v3 501485.jpg

There are some Earth microbes and molds that could survive on Mars

According to new research by scientists from NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), some terrestrial microbes (and black mold) they could survive the hostile conditions on the Martian surface.

The research could improve our understanding of survival of Earth life on a different planet and could also have implications for future space missions. In one experiment, the researchers sent microorganisms into the stratosphere, the second major layer of Earth’s atmosphere above the ozone layer (which most closely represents conditions on Mars).

Using a meteorological balloon, the container, dubbed MARSBOx (Microbes in Atmosphere for Radiation, Survival and Biological Outcomes experiment), was kept both at Martian pressure and filled with an artificial Martian atmosphere. Some layers were shielded from radiation, while others do not.

Some microbes, especially the black mold fungus spores, were able to survive the journey, even when exposed to very high UV radiation“said microbiologist Marta Filipa Cortesão, first joint author of the study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.”With long-term manned missions to Mars, we need to know how human-associated microorganisms on the Red Planet would survive, as some could pose a health risk to astronauts.“continues Katharina Siems of the DLR.

Perseverance, the NASA rover, recently landed on Mars.

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