The driest desert on Earth continues to tell us about the potential of Martian life. Microbial life on Mars can spread all over the planet, moving on dust particles raised by the winds. This is the conclusion of scientists led to the observation of microorganisms in the desert Atacama, whose climate is incredibly dry and strongly reminiscent of the Martian.
The results of the study are presented in the journal Scientific Reports. "To understand whether microbial life can move through the Atacama desert using dust particles, we have tried to determine where microorganisms come from in its most arid areas, " the study authors say. The Attackama is the driest and oldest desert on Earth, which is "analogous" to the Martian environment. It is located on the west coast of South America in Chile and has an area of about 105 thousand square kilometers. In some parts of the desert, rain falls once every few decades.
The driest places in the Atacama are located in its central valley and are characterized by extremely low rainfall, extremely high levels of ultraviolet radiation and low humidity, which is usually at 0 percent. However, despite these harsh conditions, even in these unfavorable regions, microbial life is found to be in a state of "sleep" and starts to multiply when wet.
As part of the study, astrobiologist Armando Azua-Bustos and his team collected 23 species of bacteria and 8 species of mushrooms in three locations in two regions of the central valley of Atacama, which, in addition to their extreme aridity, are known for their unfavorable soil chemistry.
Bacterial and fungal species identified from the samples included Oceanobacillus Oncorhynchus, first described in the aquatic environment, and Bacillus simplex, originating from plants. These observations indicate that microbes can penetrate Atacama from the Pacific Ocean and the coastal desert ridge.
"The microbial cells collected in the morning generally came from nearby areas, while in the afternoon marine aerosols and microbial life on dust particles were carried by the wind from remote locations, " the study authors note. The results show that microbial life can move and spread effectively across the driest desert on Earth, and suggest the possibility of such a process on Mars.