Microbes Migrate to Mars?

Microbes found in samples taken from Mars probes before launch are potentially tough enough to survive an interplanetary trip.

One day humans may walk on Mars, but it's possible that we've already accidentally sent Earth life to Mars.  NASA and other space agencies take considerable care cleaning their spacecraft to reduce the chance that they might inadvertently carry bacteria to other planets.  However, new research is suggesting that bacterial life might be tougher than we thought.  Dr. Stephanie Smith, a microbiologist from the University of Idaho, has been torture-testing microbial life collected on swabs from pre-launch Mars probes like the Curiosity rover.  She's found that a whole array of Earth's microbial life can survive harsh conditions similar to interplanetary space and the Martian surface.

Related Links

• Presentation at the American Society for Microbiology Meeting
• Nature News article