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The super-tough microorganisms can withstand Mars-level impact forces, suggesting the possibility that life can jump from planet to planet.
Date: March 3, 2026 Source: PNAS Nexus Abstract: Bacteria, famously resilient, may be strong enough to survive one of the most violent events possible on Mars. In a laboratory experiment designed to mimic the impact of a large asteroid impact, researchers forced Deinococcus radiodurans between steel plates and sprayed it with pressures reaching 3 GPa (30,000 times atmospheric pressure). Even under these extreme conditions, the majority of microorganisms survived. Share:
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By simulating the impact of a Mars asteroid impact, researchers found that hardy bacteria can withstand extreme ejection pressures. The discovery strengthens the idea that life could travel between planets inside impact debris. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com
extremophile bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans It can withstand the pressure generated when it is ejected from Mars as a result of a massive asteroid impact. Craters on the Moon and Mars demonstrate how frequently the solar system’s celestial bodies are struck by incoming material, and collisions are an important process in the planet’s history. Lily Zhao, KT Ramesh and colleagues simulated the conditions under which microorganisms could be blown into space by the force of an impact. Deinococcus radiodurans By placing the cell between two steel plates and pounding the steel sandwich with a third plate, it can withstand pressures of up to 3 GPa (30,000 times atmospheric pressure). Previous research has shown that this hardy microbe can withstand radiation and desiccation, making it a candidate for interplanetary survival. The authors were able to detect biological stress within bacteria by reading which genes are expressed under different pressures. Although samples exposed to 2.4 GPa began to show membrane rupture, the structure of the bacterial cell envelope helps explain the 60% survival of the microorganisms. Transcriptional profiles suggest that bacteria prioritized repair of cellular damage after impact. The authors say that microorganisms can survive in harsher conditions than previously thought, and that life may be able to travel between planets, such as when launched into space after a major collision.
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PNAS Nexus. “Flighted from Mars and still alive.” Science Daily. ScienceDaily, March 3, 2026. /releases/2026/03/260303082606.htm>.
PNAS Nexus. (March 3, 2026). He was blown away from Mars and is still alive. science daily. Retrieved March 3, 2026, from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260303082606.htm
PNAS Nexus. “Flighted from Mars and still alive.” Science Daily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260303082606.htm (accessed March 3, 2026).
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