“The presence of fungal species in cleanroom environments, their potential to survive prolonged exposure to space conditions, in combination with the results of this study, underscore fungal conidia as a significant consideration for planetary protection.” [ https://www.labroots.com/trending/space/30458/fungus-nasa-cl…nditions-2](https://www.labroots.com/trending/space/30458/fungus-nasa-cl…nditions-2)

NASA cleanrooms exist to keep spacecraft free of fungus and bacteria that could unknowingly hitch a ride to another world. But what if these procedures aren’t sufficient? This is what a recent study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated if decontamination strategies outlined by NASA’s planetary protection office are sufficient in preventing fungus and bacteria on Earth from contaminating other worlds.

For the study, the researchers conducted a series of experimental simulations to ascertain the survival probabilities of several microorganisms and whether they would survive on Mars and during the journey to the Red Planet. The primary goal of this study was to address a knowledge gap with planetary protection, specifically whether current protocols are sufficient in preventing bacteria and other microorganisms from hitching a ride on spacecraft to other worlds.

In the end, the researchers found that a known fungus called Aspergillus calidoustus (A. calidoustus) was found to survive sterilization procedures, contrary to rigorous cleaning. Additionally, the researchers found that A. calidoustus would not only survive the trip to Mars, but it could also survive on the surface of Mars despite the extreme radiation and temperatures. However, the team did find that A. calidoustus met its end when exposed to a combination of radiation and the extreme cold of the Martian surface.

The largest 3D map of the universe, created based on data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, shows 47 million galaxies in stunning detail.

If there is a magnitude 8 or 9 megathrust earthquake off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, data from ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) could improve earthquake detection times calculated by the ShakeAlert system.

At the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting, Zoe Krauss said ShakeAlert’s earthquake detection time could be improved by 5 to 9 seconds by incorporating data from six cabled OBS deployed offshore Oregon as part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Regional Cabled Network and five cabled OBSs deployed offshore Vancouver Island on Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) NEPTUNE cable.

There are currently only two cabled OBSs offshore Oregon, but the Cascadia Offshore Subduction Zone Observatory (COSZO) project will add four new OBS to the OOI network this summer, bringing these potential added detection times closer to reality.

Mars may look like a frozen desert today, but new evidence suggests its watery past didn’t simply fade away quietly—it may have been blasted into space by powerful dust storms. Scientists have discovered that even relatively small, localized storms can hurl water vapor high into the atmosphere, where it breaks apart and escapes.

Today, Mars is known as a cold, dry desert, but its surface tells a very different story. Ancient channels, water-altered minerals, and other geological features show that the planet once had abundant water and a far more dynamic environment. Understanding how this wetter world transformed into the barren landscape we see now remains a major question in planetary science. While scientists have identified several processes that contributed to water loss, much of Mars’ missing water is still unaccounted for.

A new international study published in Communications: Earth & Environment brings scientists closer to solving this mystery. Researchers found that an unusually intense but localized dust storm was able to push water vapor high into Mars’ atmosphere during the Northern Hemisphere summer, a season previously thought to play little role in this process.