Spacecraft microbes “sleep” to survive sterilization
Researchers discovered a bacterium in NASA’s spacecraft assembly facilities that can enter a hibernation state to survive planetary…
Tag: extremophiles
Lava tubes contain unknown “microbial dark matter”
Researchers discovered lava tubes on Mauna Loa containing previously unknown microorganisms with metabolisms and communities that could…
Could cells form in Venus’s clouds?
Astrobiologists demonstrated that cell membrane structures can form in high concentrations of sulfuric acid similar to the clouds of Venus.
Hot spring rocks could help find life on Mars
NASA researchers found that the shape of rocks near hot springs influences the preservation of chemical fossils that could be detectable on…
Could life survive in the plumes of Enceladus?
Researchers showed that simple microorganisms could survive rapid boiling in conditions mimicking the geysers of water shooting out of…
Could tardigrades survive on Mars?
Researchers found tiny, indestructible “water bears” survived exposure to high levels of toxic salts similar to those found in Martian…
Mining with acid-generating bacteria
Sulfuric acid production by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria may be a solution to a long standing mining problem.