Could life—past or future—survive on Mars?
New research suggests that even the simplest organisms from Earth might be tougher than we think.
Scientists have discovered that common baker’s yeast can withstand conditions similar to those found on the Red Planet, including powerful shock waves from meteorite impacts and exposure to toxic salts in Martian soil.
The study, published in PNAS Nexus, was led by Purusharth I. Rajyaguru and his team, who tested how Saccharomyces cerevisiae—the same yeast used in baking and brewing—reacts to Martian-like stress.
The researchers chose yeast because it has been widely studied in space experiments and shares some stress-response mechanisms with humans and other complex organisms.
When exposed to extreme conditions, yeast and many other life forms produce protective structures inside their cells known as ribonucleoprotein (RNP) condensates.
These small clusters, made of RNA and proteins, help shield vital molecules from damage. Once the stress passes, the condensates break apart and normal cell activity resumes.
To test yeast survival on Mars-like terrain, the scientists recreated two major stressors found on the planet: shock waves and perchlorates.
Shock waves—produced by meteorite impacts—can violently compress and heat the atmosphere. Perchlorates are highly oxidizing salts detected in Martian soil that can destabilize biological molecules.
Using the High-Intensity Shock Tube for Astrochemistry (HISTA) in Ahmedabad, India, the team exposed yeast to shock waves traveling at 5.6 times the speed of sound.
Despite the extreme blast, many yeast cells survived, though their growth slowed. Another group of yeast was treated with a sodium perchlorate solution at concentrations similar to those on Mars—and they, too, survived.
Even when both stressors were combined, the yeast endured, forming RNP condensates to protect themselves.
Interestingly, different stresses triggered different cellular responses: shock waves caused yeast to form both “stress granules” and “P-bodies” (two types of RNP condensates), while perchlorates only led to the formation of P-bodies.
When the researchers tested mutant yeast strains that couldn’t form these protective structures, those cells struggled to survive. This finding suggests that RNP condensates play a key role in helping organisms endure harsh environments like those on Mars.
The team also analyzed which genes were switched on or off under these stressful conditions, offering clues to how life might adapt—or even evolve—on another planet.
The results don’t prove that life exists on Mars, but they do show that some of Earth’s simplest organisms could survive there, at least for a while. And that means if life ever arose on Mars—or if humans bring microbes there—it might find ways to persist in the planet’s extreme environment.
Source: KSR.
