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Is life hiding on Mars? Scientists: Dormant bacteria may exist beneath the planet's surface
2026-01-26 23:23:49 / MISTERE&KURIOZITETE
One of the most interesting features of bacteria is that some of them can "sleep," entering a state called dormancy. When they lack nutrients and conditions are right, they stop their activity, but they don't die. They just need to be rehydrated to come back to life, much like dried mushrooms or peppers used in cooking.
Dormant bacteria are known to exist on Earth, and scientists believe they could be found on spacecraft sent to Mars. Although no bacteria have been found on Mars yet, that doesn't mean they don't exist. According to a study published in the journal Astrobiology, there are strong reasons to think that there could be dormant Martian bacteria beneath the surface of Mars.
Researchers at Northwestern University have shown that the microbe Deinococcus radiodurans can survive extreme radiation. This means that if such a microbe were to exist beneath the surface of Mars, it could have survived solar and cosmic radiation. However, this only shows that it is possible, not that the bacteria actually exist there.
Other studies on Earth have shown that even highly sterilized environments, such as preparation rooms for space missions, can harbor dormant bacteria. This raises concerns that bacteria from Earth could accidentally "travel" to Mars and contaminate it.
"We can't risk sending microbes from Earth to other planetary bodies," says Madhan Tirumalai, lead author of the study.
Spacecraft are subject to very strict cleaning and disinfection rules to avoid contamination. However, some bacteria manage to survive by entering a state of hibernation, similar to that of bears during the winter.
Scientists still don't know how long bacteria can survive in this state, but in the case of Mars, they would have to survive for millions of years.
Although they have not yet been discovered, based on the ability of microbes to survive on Earth, it would not be surprising if there are dormant bacteria on Mars.
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