Scientists discovered which fungus is capable of surviving on Mars

A fungus from NASA's sterile laboratories turned out to be capable of surviving a flight to Mars and the conditions of the Red Planet. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who published their research results in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology (AEM).

It all began with a discovery in the cleanest facilities on Earth — NASA's sterile rooms where spacecraft are assembled. Even in these zones with the strictest sanitary controls, spores of the fungus Aspergillus calidoustus were found, refusing to go down without a fight.

To test its resilience, scientists recreated in the laboratory a full set of Martian "nightmares": freezing cold, intense ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, as well as extremely low pressure. The spores of Aspergillus calidoustus withstood conditions that would doom most living organisms to death with remarkable tenacity.

Experiments demonstrated that the fungus is capable of surviving at every stage of a potential Mars mission — from the assembly facility to the surface of the Red Planet. The only way to destroy it was through the simultaneous exposure to extreme cold and a high dose of radiation.

Lead researcher Kasthuri Venkateswaran clarified that the findings do not mean the inevitable contamination of Mars. However, they clearly signal that biological safety controls in the preparation of interplanetary missions need to be significantly tightened. Resilient microorganisms that accidentally reach another planet could jeopardize the entire search for extraterrestrial life by distorting its results.

Equally serious concerns are raised by the prospects of crewed missions: hardy microbes could colonize life support systems and disrupt their operation. The researchers are convinced that detailed study of such organisms will help develop more reliable planetary protection strategies and reduce the risks on humanity's path to space exploration.