People have long been intrigued by the possibility of life beyond Earth and how it might endure in extraterrestrial environments. There is no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial life, not even on the planetary neighbor Mars. However, an international project led by KAUST’s Alexandre Rosado demonstrates how a particular type of black fungus, known to tolerate highly acidic conditions on Earth, could survive and even thrive in Mars-like environments [1].
“With the current advancement of space missions to Mars, both orbital and robotic, we are closer than ever to answering whether there was, or is, biological activity on the Red Planet,” says Alef Santos, who worked on the project as a visiting Ph.D. student in Rosado’s lab, together with Junia Schultz and co-workers. “Understanding the limits of life in extreme environments on Earth is a crucial step toward interpreting biosignatures beyond our planet. Extremophilic microorganisms that survive and thrive in hostile environments offer valuable natural models for how extraterrestrial life might adapt.”
The team chooses to study the black fungus Rhinocladiella similis based on genomic analyses and previous experimental evidence suggesting that the fungus possesses a robust genetic toolkit capable of withstanding multiple environmental stressors. They are particularly interested in how R. similis might survive in perchlorate salt brines, which are hypothesized to exist intermittently on Mars, along with other environmental factors, including intense UV-C radiation.
