Mars surface toxic for microbial life

Scientists looked at the effect of certain chemical compounds detected on Mars. And it turns out that they are pretty deadly in combination with Martian levels of UV radiation.

At least to earth bacteria

www.nature.com...

We show that when irradiated with a simulated Martian UV flux, perchlorates become bacteriocidal. At concentrations associated with Martian surface regolith, vegetative cells of Bacillus subtilis in Martian analogue environments lost viability within minutes. Two other components of the Martian surface, iron oxides and hydrogen peroxide, act in synergy with irradiated perchlorates to cause a 10.8-fold increase in cell death when compared to cells exposed to UV radiation after 60 seconds of exposure.

a reply to: moebius
We recently found that we can grow potatoes on Mars (most likely), so that means at least the first space travelers to Mars can easily make french fries...as a last meal.

a reply to: Vector99

Where are they going to get enough lard?

a reply to: moebius

Well that's disastrous.

Now factor in all of the others sorts of cosmic radiation that our magnetosphere shields us from, and Mars isn't merely a dry punchbowl but a punchbowl full of dry turds (and not turds of the ready to compost variety either).

a reply to: Vector99

Just be sure to conserve on ketchup

a reply to: Vector99

Can't hardly grow plants in sterile anti-microbial soils.

Seeds sprout better in soil teeming with microbes both good and bad than in none at all. It's like poisonous for them.

Next they need to run that test with mycorrhizal fungi. If they get the same effect then might as was scrap all plans on getting our asses to Mars with intent to set up shop there.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Vector99

Where are they going to get enough lard?

The fat guy that got picked to go to Mars OBVIOUSLY wasn't told his true role.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Vector99

Where are they going to get enough lard?

along with the secret colony of child slaves on Mars, there's also a colony of fattened pigs to extract fat.

let's just wait and see what Alex Jones
makes of this news, then we'll know for sure.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
The experiment was run and successful.

Matt Damon was right, grow some potatoes.

A planet being devoid of life is not an indication of sterility. Especially when we don't know that it is truly devoid of life.

a reply to: Vector99

Did the test you're referring to account for the chemistry that this test here did? Did it account for the light spectrum as seen on Mars' surface?

And that doesnt even cover the lack of a magnetosphere on mars, something which always conveniently seems left out of terraforming discussions.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Did the test you're referring to account for the chemistry that this test here did? Did it account for the light spectrum as seen on Mars' surface?

To be honest when I heard the news months ago I did no follow up on it. Light spectrum doesn't matter much for an underground plant btw.

And that doesnt even cover the lack of a magnetosphere on mars, something which always conveniently seems left out of terraforming discussions.

Growing a potato and terraforming are quite different aspects of our current knowledge.

I'll see if I an dig up the results of the potato test, but if I remember correctly they grew it in soil devoid of any nutrients using only water.

***Found this giving a basic explanation

a reply to: Vector99

Is "Mars-like" in vitro the same as "Mars" in situ?

Was the soil truly sterile in the in vitro experiment?

Extremely unlikely.

Now studies do show plants grown in 'sterile' soil tend to grow better (although I'm not so sure that the soil has ever been kept 100% micro free from spouting to harvest). Now that I think of it I have seen conflicting studies about seed germination in the presence of antibiotics.

But those aren't talking about oxidizing soil.

If a soil scenario cant support bacteria growth how could it be expected to host fungi? If it can't support fungi how could it be expected to support lichen? If it cant support lichen how could it be expected to support plants?

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Vector99

Where are they going to get enough lard?

Ummm...liposuction...

Send only the chunky to space...and let them eat cake...

Who knew that lardass could not only be a term of endearment...but a well rounded qualifier...

Would you like fries...with that...?



YouSir

a reply to: Phage

I can donate a fat American or two.

a reply to: Vector99

I grow potatoes, they can grow almost anywhere, all you have to do is throw some under the leaves in a pile and you get potatoes. Or put them in a barrel full of hay. The potatoes do not have much flavor grown that way, but they are nice and clean when you pick them.

originally posted by: moebius
Scientists looked at the effect of certain chemical compounds detected on Mars. And it turns out that they are pretty deadly in combination with Martian levels of UV radiation.

Science once again kills our buzz.

I just hope someone told any Bactria that may be on mars they cant live there .
Come on people if mars ever had life it has had millions if not billions of years to evolve to survive in what mars is now .
really mars cant have life because this or that and yet here on earth there is life in boiling water in yellow stone there is life found in 50000 year old ice there is life found around vents in 2 miles of water that are so toxic the life does not even have 02 and using only minerals to survive .
The great salt lake has life ( heck try finding a place on earth without life .
No mars has life all we neeed to dop is prove it .
But I am sure you could find Bactria here that would be just fine on mars .

If this experiment shows that Martian soil can be bactericidal then natural selection would have sorted the (Martian) weaklings from the (Martian) ubermicrobes. Assuming there were any microbes on Mars to begin with, and assuming that the Martian magnetosphere dissipated over a long enough period of time to give this a chance to happen.

originally posted by: midnightstar
really mars cant have life because this or that and yet here on earth there is life in boiling water in yellow stone there is life found in 50000 year old ice there is life found around vents in 2 miles of water that are so toxic the life does not even have 02 and using only minerals to survive.

Found on Earth, right, where we know there is life? We know life is persistent. But it has to exist before it can be persistent.

originally posted by: Antipathy17
a reply to: Phage

I can donate a fat American or two.

Why an american?

Who's fat would be tastier?

And male or female?

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