# Current Earth life viable on Mars? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801 "2012-01-17T15:42:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/1 "2012-01-17T15:42:36Z")
I am aware of the current condition of Mars: dry, cold as hell, almost no free oxygen or CO2, and blasted by radiation due to a lack of a magnetosphere or Ozone layer. That all being said, either just for fun or as a precursor to Terraforming, is there any lift form on Earth today that we know of that could survive on Mars? I imagine it would be something very simplistic, such as arctic bacteria or Atacama dessert dwelling lichins or something. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/2 "2012-01-17T17:09:06Z")
There are bacteria that live inside solid ice on earth (not just sitting there frozen - actively alive, albeit at a (literally) glacial pace - these might be amongst the best candidates, however, I’m not sure if there is sufficiently warm water ice on Mars. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/3 "2012-01-17T17:30:07Z")
[Deinococcus radiodurans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinococcus_radiodurans), along with any number of other [extremophile](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile) bacteria, could probably survive on the surface of Mars. Whether or not they could reproduce is another question, though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/4 "2012-01-17T18:15:52Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > [Deinococcus radiodurans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinococcus_radiodurans), along with any number of other [extremophile](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile) bacteria, could probably survive on the surface of Mars. Whether or not they could reproduce is another question, though. May be a hijack. If they could survive on Mars, and could reproduce, what would the long term effect be? I know there can be no real answer, just guess work. But could they eventually evolve into higher life forms over millions of years? Or is Mars just too inhospitable? ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/5 "2012-01-17T18:22:14Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > [Deinococcus radiodurans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinococcus_radiodurans), along with any number of other [extremophile](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile) bacteria, could probably survive on the surface of Mars.. Ok. Sorry for the hijack, but this is fascinating. > [@](#): > > In 2003, U.S. scientists demonstrated D. radiodurans could be used as a means of information storage that might survive a nuclear catastrophe. They translated the song It’s a Small World into a series of DNA segments 150 base pairs long, inserted these into the bacteria, and were able to retrieve them without errors 100 bacterial generations later. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/6 "2012-01-17T19:00:50Z")
There are also some species of lichen which have been found to survive Mars-like conditions of atmosphere and temperature. Being photosynthetic, they would gradually convert Mars’ atmosphere of carbon dioxide into oxygen. The temperature would still be a problem, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/7 "2012-01-17T19:04:47Z")
Excellent Chronos, thank you! Would additional free oxygen just end up getting locked up in the Iron Oxide coloring our ruddy neighbor, or would it remain free? ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-earth-life-viable-on-mars/609801/8 "2012-01-17T19:16:24Z")
There was science news recently about this very question: > [@](#): > > A team of scientists from Oregon has collected microbes from ice within a lava tube in the Cascade Mountains and found that they thrive in cold, Mars-like conditions. > > The microbes tolerate temperatures near freezing and low levels of oxygen, and they can grow in the absence of organic food. > **[Oregon State University](https://oregonstate.edu)** > > Oregon State University delivers exceptional, accessible education and problem-solving innovation as Oregon's largest and statewide public research university.