Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2019 December 9
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December 9
editAntarctic blue-green algae thrives in conditions on Mars?
editFrom [1]
| “ | In 2012, Dr. De Vera showed that cyanobacteria – a phylum consisting of free-living bacteria – present on Earth for 3.5 billion years could survive several weeks in the "Martian chamber" without a problem.
He repeated his experiment for nine days with microorganisms recovered from Earth’s harshest continent – Antarctica. They did not just survive, though, they thrived.... “From what we’ve seen, the results we’ve had, it would be possible to find life there, or terrestrial life, microorganisms could survive on Mars. “It’s impressive, we never imagined these results, especially with more complex organisms. “They are not bacteria, they’re organisms, which use photosynthesis. “Life is possible on Mars, and Mars can be a habitat for organisms that live on Earth.” |
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Is the quoted characterization consistent with, "The fluorescence signal from photosynthetic pigments was differently preserved after UV irradiation, depending on the thickness of the samples" in [2]? The organisms which use photosynthesis survived, but did photosynthesis actually occur, i.e., was it still a viable process for the organisms? EllenCT (talk) 21:46, 9 December 2019 (UTC)