Dried out bacteria can make the planet Mars habitable



Microbes are full of amazing qualities they can survive in extreme cold, extremely hot temperature, highly alkaline, highly acidic conditions, and air and in deep sea even in radioactive environment.
It is well known fact that there are bacteria, survive in highly alkaline environment like salt lakes. Recent studies suggest that they also have an ability to completely dry out almost like a dead being and can revive again when find smallest amount of water. Halomonas bacteria have similar characteristics.

Halomonas bacteria in its desiccated form was isolated from Washington’s Hot Lake. It is found out that completely dried out bacteria revived again after absorbing humidity in jar. According to astrobiologist Mark Schneegurt, of Wichita State University in Kansas these findings help to discover life on other planets like Mars and it will also help us to know if life from Earth can thrive on other planets or not. Salt loving bacteria have been detected in cleaned room of NASA where NASA built its spacecraft.

Magnesium sulfate (also called Epsom salts) and perchlorates are abundant on Mars and these salts have better affinity towards water so the bacteria have good chances to suck out water from salts. Schneegurt and colleagues were successful in growing Halomonas bacteria in magnesium sulfate brines, their numbers doubled in three to four days at room temperature. Researchers were able to grow Halomonas bacteria at -40C which is Mars like temperature though growth was not rapid and less number of bacteria grew in months. The experiment also showed Halomonas was successfully grew with repeated cycle of drying and wetting which indicate its ability to dry out completely and revive again after getting some moisture.

Mars arid and cold environment can be difficult for microbes to survive there but if some chemical conditions are provided they can grow and survive there.

According to this new study, the Red Planet may be more habitable than previously thought. But here the main concern is are we contaminating Mars too?
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