Studies of extreme ecosystems on Earth can guide the search for Martian life and may reveal the...
This two-pronged approach of grounding scientists' extraterrestrial extrapolations with studies of Earthly analogues could help clarify the bedrock limits for life on rocky planets, greatly aiding the development and execution of future extraterrestrial missions.
He found, against all expectations, that certain hardy microbes could thrive in geothermal springs hot enough to poach an egg.
Most remarkably, the team's DNA sequencing revealed 34 unique microbial sequences that were conserved in all MASE sites, which is evidence of microbes surviving a combination of extreme environments.
According to Moissl-Eichinger, while many microbes are adapted to live in certain conditions such as intense cold or scant oxygen, it is novel to find a group of microbes adapted to survive a combination of these extreme stressors.
One way these microbes may be particularly adapted to life on Earth is their dependence on carbon-based compounds, or organic matter.
These are the molecular building blocks of life on Earth and may be rare in some otherwise-habitable extraterrestrial environments.
Some microbes in environments with scarce organic matter can instead get nutrients from inorganic substances, such as ammonia and certain sulfur compounds.
So with more time, she and her colleagues might successfully culture microbes that get their nutrients from other chemical sources, potentially revealing new biochemical pathways and ecological niches to consider when searching for life on Mars.
"We are far away from understanding what microbes could look like on Mars and how we can find them. But of course, research always gives a little piece by piece, and at some point, the picture gets fuller," Moissl-Eichinger says.
According to McKay, extraterrestrial environments for life may be like those found on Earth, or they could differ vastly.