Scientists find an underground bacterium that could live on Mars

Tomsk State University microbiologists were the first in the world to isolate Desulforudis audaxviator from deep underground waters. Translated from Latin, its name means “a brave traveler”. Scientists from different countries have hunted for this bacterium for over 10 years. The increased interest by researchers is because the microorganism receives energy in the absence of light and oxygen. Theoretically, this method makes life possible in spaceā€”for example, on Mars. The results of their studies are published in The ISME Journal of the publishing group Nature.