Life forms based on earth known as Lichens can be difficult enough to survive on Mars, suggest a new study.
Scientists arrived at this conclusion after exploding the lichens with a year of Martian radiation in less than a day during a laboratory experience – and the forms of earthly life survived the process.
March is not an easy place to live. The red planet is essentially a giant desert with a minimum atmosphere, low temperatures and no liquid water on its surface. But the greatest obstacle to Life on Mars is the absence of a strong magnetic field, which protects against the constant bombing of the ionizing radiation of the cosmic rays and solar eruptionswhich can damage living cells and mutate their DNA.
A group of living things that could survive these extreme conditions is lichensSymbiotic associations between fungi and photosynthetic bacteria and / or algae. These hybrid life forms, which are not considered as real organisms but are listed as species on the three of life, work together to stay alive and many are extremes, capable of tolerating any hydration and extreme temperatures for long periods. Some species even have survived to be directly exposed to the space of space.
In the new study, published on March 31 in the journal IMA FUNGUSResearchers tested how two lichen species – Muscorum Dipheists And Cetraria Aculeata – reacted to ionizing radiation under Martian conditions. To do this, the team has placed the life forms in a specialized vacuum chamber at the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences of Warsaw, which has reproduced the atmospheric pressure, temperatures and composition on the red planet. They bombed the lichens one year of Martian radiation in just 5 hours. The two species were able to remain metabolically active throughout the tests.
In relation: What animals will be the first to live on the Moon and Mars?
“These results expand our understanding of biological processes under simulated Martian conditions and reveal how hydrated organisms react to ionizing radiation”. Kaja SkubałaA researcher at the Botanical Institute of the Jagellona University in Krakow, Poland, said in a statement. “In the end, this research deepens our knowledge on the adaptation of lichen and their potential for colonization of extraterrestrial environments.”
Of the two species, D. Muscorum have shown the greatest resistance to radiation, undergoing less damage to its cells, which suggests that certain lichens will be better suited to Martian conditions than others. However, it is unlikely that any species will be able to survive on Mars without surveillance for long periods, because there is no known liquid water on the surface, of which all the life forms of the earth must survive.
This is the reason why it is unlikely that there is extraterrestrial life Currently living on Mars.
Martian candidates
According to researchers, new experiences show that lichens are main candidates to be taken in future Mars missions, although there are several resilient species other than D. Muscorum It could also make the trip.
But lichens are not the only forms of life that could potentially survive on the red planet.
An extremist group that has long been considered future Martian tourists is late. These microscopic creatures are almost indestructible and can survive extreme temperatures, overwhelming pressures, total dehydration and space of space, largely thanks to an ability to extinguish their metabolism and enter into a state of animation in suspension.
The other candidates include mosses – plants with capabilities similar to lichens. Some species of desert moss have even proved to be resistant to gamma rays and liquid nitrogen, alluding to what they too might get out of it on Mars.
Unicellular microorganisms, such as bacteria, could also be able to survive on Mars if they were protected from radiation, living underground. Research has shown that these microbes could also survive to Hundreds of millions of years below the surface in a state of hibernation.
However, the first forms of terrestrial life to be tackled on Mars will probably be a species which is naturally very poorly suited to life on Mars – humans. Nasa For the intention of launching the first crew mission on the red planet in the 2030s, when they will have a taste of the difficulty of surviving there.
Publisher’s note: This article was initially published on April 8, 2025