Earth organisms on mars

[kiwiak]

Are there some earth organisms like bacteria or algae that coudl survive on some parts of mars?

No genetic engineering of lifeforms to match conditions of mars and no terraforming planet to match reqirements of lifefeforms.

[Accelerando]

Bacteria that survive in spacecraft cleanrooms are candidates, as well as those that survived the ISS. Tardigrades might survive as well, if they can live on the minute quantities of oxygen in the air.

[Camacha]

I understand the need to sanitize spacecraft that are on a mission to look for life, as you do not want to discover life you brought from home. On the other hand, I have been wondering whether we should not intentionally send life along with spacecraft, as a sort of insurance policy should Earth be hit by a spacerock. Humans might well go extinct, but we will have helped life to spread. Maybe, just maybe, one of those craft will land or crash somewhere where its hitchhiking lifeforms can continue evolution.

I would compare it a bit to trees or flowers spreading their seeds and spores with help of the wind.

[Spenzor]

I'm sure there's some sort of extremophile bacteria here on Earth that would do well on Mars.

Radiotrophic fungus might be another candidate, though the known varieties seem to require organic material to live on even in the presence of significant levels of radiation. Someone who knows more about the topic could probably clear that one up.

[Kryten]

All fungi require complex carbon, so they're a non-starter. Lichen might be viable, but I don't know if there are any particularly radiotolerant lichen the way there are radiotolerant free-living fungi.

[Scotius]

I've read about lichen who fared surprisingly well in martian environment simulated in a lab.

http://phys.org/news/2014-01-lichen-mars.html

Life is wonderfully tough to kill

[kiwiak]

If radiation is concern, maybe some organism that live deep enough underground?

[Spenzor]

All fungi require complex carbon, so they're a non-starter. Lichen might be viable, but I don't know if there are any particularly radiotolerant lichen the way there are radiotolerant free-living fungi.

Ah yes, that's what I feared. It seemed like a good idea in my head, anyway.

[Comrade Jenkens]

I wonder if the Lichen, if put on Mars, could not only survive but actually begin to spread?

[Sillychris]

It's cold on Mars and all there's lots of water in the ice caps.

glacial algae is your answer.

[NovaSilisko]

Food for thought... pressure at the bottom of the Hellas Basin is approximately ten times higher than that of the rest of mars - high enough that, in very rare circumstances, liquid water can sit comfortably on the surface. Just barely though, a slight shift in temperature or pressure will start it evaporating or freezing (and then sublimating)

[Guest]

With gene engineering, we'll probably be able to design the perfect bacteria for terraforming mars

But in nature, bacteria can already survive volcanic geyser, radiations, acid, really i don't see mars as much of a problem.

Putting bacteria on jupiter might be more problematic lol.