One extremophile eats Martian dirt, survives in space and can create oxygen for the colonies

The ends are a preferred tool for astrobiologists. But not only are they good for understanding the type of extreme environments in which life can survive, but sometimes they are useful as real tools, creating materials necessary for another life, such as oxygen, in these extreme environments. A recent article by Daniella Billi from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, published in the form of a pre-print AstronauticsExamine how a particular end fulfills the role of the useful test subject and the useful tool at the same time.

This end is a cyanobacteria called chroococcidia. Unfortunately, biologists do not have the same penchant to shorten the names as astronomers, but we will call it Chroo, so I do not have to copy several times and stick the name that I probably already spelled. Chroo is from the desert, samples being found in Asia, North America and even in Antarctica, of which large parts are in fact a desert, despite the persistent snow.

Given its robust characteristics, several studies have already examined different aspects of Chroo and the implications of the way in which life could survive on other planets – or in space itself. Two experiences, the experience of biology and Mars (Biomex) and the much fresher experience of Biofilm organizations (BOSS) both used the organizations exposed to a spatial environment module (exhibition) on the ISS. You can say that we are definitely back in space territory with all acronyms.

Basically, these experiences expose the chroo to the hardness of the open space to see how it has survived. Everyone lasted about a year and a half. Biomex focused on individual cells, while the boss focused on biofilms. The two experiments noted that UV radiation was the largest cell killer, and both noted that even a certain basic protection offered massive advantages to the cell below. In the case of Biomex, this protection was provided by a thin layer of rock or regolith, while for the boss, it came in the form of the upper layer of cells in the biofilm sacrificing and becoming a protective layer of Shift which prevents UV from reaching the lower levels.

Perhaps even more impressive, when the chroo was brought back to earth after the biomex experience, they were rehydrated because they had made their water removed before the experience. But scientists noticed that their DNA repair mechanisms were able to repair DNA damage they had suffered. Even more impressive, there were no increased mutations in future generations compared to a control strain that had remained on earth. In other words, Chroo DNA repair mechanisms have been so effective that they were able to recover from a year and a half of exposure to unprotected right -in -room radiation and do not return for wear.

But space is not the only place to make these extremist experiences. Several earth -related tests have also been carried out. An experience, which I can only suppose was designed in order to create a bacterial shell, castigated a chroo sample with almost 24 kGy of gamma radiation – 2,400 times the fatal quantity to a human. Surprisingly, the chroo survived, although they did not transform into a green monster unfortunately.

Even higher levels of gamma radiation were used in another experience, which ended up killing the chroo, but watched what they left. Biomarkers and carotenoids were still detectable even after the death of cyanobacteria, making it a good candidate for the search for extinct life on places like Mars.

Another earth -related test has shown that Chrooo could survive freezing temperatures like those that could be found on Europa or Enladus. Reaching temperatures of -80 ° C, the bacteria seemed to vitrify, leaving it in a glass state of glass that it would wake up once the conditions have improved.

But that’s not all that Chrooo can do – it can live on a lunar and Martian soil, and produce oxygen using only them and photosynthesis. It can even survive the high level of perchlorates found in Martian soil, a delicate proposition for many forms of earth -based life, but “regularly increases” its DNA repair genes which thwart the damage made by perchlorates.

Several future missions hope to study other aspects of this end. They include Cyanotechrider, who will ensure the way microgravity affects the Chroo DNA repair process. Another is a biosign, which will try to feed the chroo using distant infrared light, which it is able to use for photosynthesis – a rare capacity among cyanobacteria and plants more generally. The results of this experience could shed light on our understanding of life around M-Darf stars, which mainly emit infrared light.

Given all the capacities of this super-cyanobacteria, it seems well placed at the forefront of research in astrobiology. It may mean that someone will give him a shorter and more catchy name to spare us the journalists of poor spatial to write it every time we find something other cool on this.