Genetically modified microbe could help make Mars habitable, researchers say

We send spacecraft to Mars not only to analyze its surface but also toexamine the planet’s potential to support future human life. Researchers are also studying how to use resources available on the planet to support life and decrease reliance on Earth supplies for future human missions. You could engineer microbes to live on Mars and produce useful stuff. This is what researchers at Pioneer Labs, a nonprofit biotechnology startup in Emeryville, Calif., hope to do with a genetically modified bacterium they are working on, which could be a first step toward this goal.

The idea is linked to the broader concept of terraforming Mars, which involves transforming the planet’s hostile environment into conditions suitable for life as we know it. However, achieving this would need overcoming substantial environmental and technological concerns.

Developing Microorganisms for Mars

For future crews to become more self-sufficient on Mars, they would require ways to receive essential resources locally such as air, food, water and building materials. Researchers believe specially developed microorganisms could help make use of Martian resources for some of these purposes.

One of the main concerns is the composition of Martian soil, or regolith. It has some materials that might be useful to Earth organisms, but it also has toxic compounds such as perchlorates and salts that make it hard for many living things to grow.

Earlier approaches to growing plants on Mars included washing harmful substances out of the soil and transporting extra fertilizers from Earth. Hydroponic cultivation, which does not rely on conventional soil, has also been considered. However, Pioneer Labs argues that these approaches experience considerable resource, time and efficiency concerns when applied on a large scale.

Adapting Earth Microbes to Martian Conditions

Erika DeBenedictis, CEO of Pioneer Labs, described that developing the organism needed repeated testing as the initial attempts were unsuccessful.

“The first time we tested growth of terrestrial microbes in Mars conditions, none of them grew! We had to keep going and test a lot more organisms before we realized we had just gotten unlucky the first time.”

The researchers subsequently made a strain capable of tolerating the toxic compounds typically connected with Martian soil. Their experiments used artificial substrates created to reproduce the planet’s chemical conditions, enabling the team to investigate whether microorganisms could grow without initially treating the material.

Conditions Required for Survival

Despite its ability to grow under simulated Martian conditions, the bacterium cannot survive independently in the planet’s natural environment. It needs a sealed bioreactor equipped with heating and mixing systems to safeguard it from extreme temperatures and provide controlled growing conditions.

The organism also needs specially prepared air and a nitrogen source supplied in the form of acetate. This is required because the naturally available nitrogen in Mars’s atmosphere is insufficient for its needs.

These requirements are significant not only for cultivation but also for planetary protection. In another study, the researchers proposed biological limitations made to prevent the microorganism from persisting if it accidentally escaped into the Martian environment.

Samuel McKee, a DNA-recovery specialist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom who was not involved in the project, regarded it plausible that a microorganism dependent on controlled conditions would be unable to initiate uncontrolled terraforming. He cited that several genetically modified microorganisms die outside controlled environments as they cannot survive without continued support and certain nutrient sources.

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Broader Implications Beyond Mars

The research could also have applications on Earth. Microorganisms developed via genetic engineering may provide ways to investigate biological production under challenging environmental conditions, with potential relevance to climate change and habitats that are challenging for humans to access.

Pioneer Labs’ work shows how biotechnology could assist future space exploration by studying how to utilize local resources and manufacture useful materials in a controlled environment. The problem of terraforming is much larger and more involved, but being able to develop microorganisms that can survive simulated Martian environments could open up new ways for scientists to support human activity on the Red Planet.


Source: Root-Nation.com and The News International