I\/I 3 I\/I @ I\I $CI_3 I\IC3 T3C I\I@ I_@ GY

Microbes Would Find Scarce Shelter on Mars
By Jeremy Hsu
Astrobiology Magazine
posted: 04 June 2009
07:31 am ET

Extremophile bacteria can tough it out in the Siberian permafrost, but the environment of Mars may still be too hostile for such hardy life.

That's the finding of a recent study conducted by Andrew C. Schuerger, a microbiologist at the University of Florida and the Space Life Sciences Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and colleagues.

"Very seldom have microbes that grow well under cold or high salt conditions been subjected to Martian conditions," said Schuerger.

Harsh ultraviolet (UV) light proved particularly devastating for the survival of cold-resistant microbes under simulated surface conditions on Mars.

Such findings not only hone the search for traces of Martian life, but also could help focus NASA's procedures to prevent contamination of Mars by Earth microbes.