9 ms·

Researchers Find Microbe Capable of Producing Oxygen from Martian Soil

105 points by ashishgupta2209 11mo ago

ChrisArchitect 11mo ago
Source: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/one-extremophile-eats-martian-dirt-survives-in-space-and-can-create-oxygen-for-colonies https://www.universetoday.com/articles/one-extremophile-eats...
canadiantim 11mo ago
Lame title. Life wasn’t found on mars they just cultured a microbe on soil from mars.
- stevenjgarner 11mo ago
  IMHO I feel the title is appropriate. They are not claiming to have found life on Mars, they are making the very pivotal claim that there are forms of life that can turn liabilities on Mars into assets.
  - stavros 11mo ago
    Agreed, the clear was very clear for me too. I wonder what the microbe eats, and if we can supply that in enough volumes to make a dent to Mars' atmosphere.
  - nephihaha 11mo ago
    True, it is deliberately misleading. However, some possible indicators of life have been found on Mars although these are contested. Two thar I can think of are methane emissions on the planets, and the soil tests by the Viking landers in the seventies, which returned ambiguous results.
    - bilekas 11mo ago
      > True, it is deliberately misleading. It's not misleading, this article has nothing to do with finding life on Mars. > If humans ever build bases on Mars, they will need systems that can provide oxygen without constant resupply from Earth Have you READ the article ? Or just misinterpreted the title and then commented ?
      - canadiantim 11mo ago
        It is misleading. The title suggests they found a microbe on mars: "Researchers Find Microbe... from Martian Soil". They did not.
        nephihaha 11mo ago
        Punctuation is everything.
      - nephihaha 11mo ago
        I read it first. That second comment about bases is not mine.
- bilekas 11mo ago
  The title nor the article ever said that life was found on Mars ?
- Gravityloss 11mo ago
  scientist discover microbe [...] from martian soil [...] microbe produces oxygen from martian soil I guess you read it the former way while most people read it the latter way. Neither is wrong or right. Slightly garden-pathy title.
stevenjgarner 11mo ago
This is so inspiring. It has become almost axiomatic that Martian regolith is toxic. [1] This microbe research represents a move in thinking from planetary protection (protecting us from Mars) to In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), using Mars to support us. The microbe turns two liabilities — the high perchlorate ClO4 mineral content and the atmospheric CO2 — into the two necessities for a colony: building material and breathable air. [1] References: Davila, A. F., Willson, D., Coates, J. D., & McKay, C. P. (2013). Perchlorate on Mars: a chemical hazard and a resource for humans. International Journal of Astrobiology, 12(4), 321–325. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1473550413000189 https://doi.org/10.1017/s1473550413000189 Oze, C., Beisel, J., Dabsys, E., Dall, J., North, G., Scott, A., Lopez, A. M., Holmes, R., & Fendorf, S. (2021). Perchlorate and Agriculture on Mars. Soil Systems, 5(3), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems5030037 https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems5030037 Perchlorate on Mars – Overview and Implications. (2019). (NASA Technical Report). Perchlorate-Reducing Biofilms Open a New Avenue for Martian Agriculture. (n.d.). Current Trends in Biotechnology and Bioengineering Sciences, 1(1). Potential Health Impacts, Treatments, and Countermeasures of Martian Dust on Future Human Space Exploration. (n.d.). Life.
- HPsquared 11mo ago
  That reminds of how oxygen itself was highly toxic to the early anaerobic lifeforms on Earth.
- ashishgupta2209 11mo ago
  [flagged]
adrian_b 11mo ago
As always, the title is grossly incorrect. The "microbe", is a blue-green alga, Chroococcidiopsis. It does not produce oxygen from Martian soil, but from water, if you give water and solar light to it. The newsworthy part is that this cyanobacterium can survive in the presence of the toxic Martian soil and it can also survive the freezing caused by the Martian temperatures. Therefore it could be used in some kind of greenhouses built on Mars, but a water source for supplying the greenhouse must be found. In general, on Mars producing enough water to cover all needs will be the greatest technical challenge. All other substances are abundant enough in comparison with the required quantities, except possibly the noble gases, like argon and helium (but in the non-oxidizing Martian atmosphere there will be much less need of inert gases for techniques like welding).
- bilekas 11mo ago
  I am quite ignorant on these specifics but wouldn't it be feasable to basically have them in a greenhouse environment, heated, in the North pole area, where I believe there was some form of IceWater found.. If possible to even melt some of that, and let that cascade the effect ? https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Water_ice_in_crater_at_Martian_north_pole https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_E...
  - adrian_b 11mo ago
    That would work only for a base located at the North pole. If you want to explore other regions, or to set there a base, for instance for extracting some useful minerals, all the water will have to be transported from the poles, unless some quantities of ice will be discovered underground elsewhere (or of hydrated rocks, which can produce water when heated enough). Unless enough ice or hydrated rocks are discovered underground elsewhere, the amount of ice from the poles will sustain only a small human population.
- stevenjgarner 11mo ago
  How is it "grossly incorrect"? Using both taxonomic and size classification, is it not accurate to refer to a blue-green alga as a "microbe" or "microorganism." [1] A microbe (or microorganism) is generally defined as an organism that is microscopic—too small to be seen clearly by the naked eye. Blue-green algae fit this definition as they are single-celled or form microscopic colonies. The scientific name for blue-green algae is cyanobacteria, which are technically a type of bacteria, universally classified as microbes. [2] They are prokaryotes (lacking a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles), and the two prokaryotic domains of life (Bacteria and Archaea) are composed entirely of microbes. [1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9025173/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9025173/ [2] https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/blue-green-algae/faqs https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/bl...
vinni2 11mo ago
“Researchers tested this by using soil that mimics Martian regolith. “ Would this hold for real Martian regolith?
- fnands 11mo ago
  Once the Mars Sample Return brings some back we can test that...
philipwhiuk 11mo ago
We've had artifical oxygen generation for a while: [0] . It's probably useful to have a biological method. The survivability in the soil bit is actually the more important piece. [0] https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance/perseverance-rover/nasas-oxygen-generating-experiment-moxie-completes-mars-mission/ https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance/perseve...
georgeecollins 11mo ago
No one writes about technology to colonize Antarctica. Its warmer, has more ready water, less radiation and a breathable atmosphere. Plus its much easier to transport supplies.
- glitchc 11mo ago
  Going to Mars gives us biodome diversity. What's the gain in making Antarctica habitable? It's not like we're running out of land, and there are many underutilized parcels of land elsewhere on the planet that would be easier to terraform than Antarctica.
  - TheOtherHobbes 11mo ago
    We're terraforming Antarctica to make it (potentially) habitable anyway. Whether we like it or not.
  - nephihaha 11mo ago
    I think they need to terraform the world's megacities first. :)
- scandox 11mo ago
  Yes and 19th century gentleman scientists were a lot more interested in studying savage tribes than their valets. Imagination is a great motivator and it is more stimulated by what is far away than what is near.
kragen 11mo ago
I thought Martian soil was full of perchlorate, which produces oxygen if you just get it wet and expose it to somewhere the gas can escape? I guess we'll never know, because this article is just blogspam linking another blogspam article that doesn't link the actual preprint, just says, "A recent paper from Daniella Billi of the University of Rome Tor Vergata , [sic] published in pre-print form in Acta Astronautica, reviews how one particular extremophile fills the role of both useful test subject and useful tool all at once."
metalman 11mo ago
Such a bad headline, and while some martian soils might not be instantly fatal to everything once pressurised, and hydrated, the actual ambient conditions on mars, will in fact kill any and all earth life. Building a greenhouse that will feed a human colony on mars is a 2 trillion dollar spend, with a hundred billion.a year to keep the bus running, which I think is something humanity neds to.do, but the only way we can afford it, is to re allot the budgets spent now on aircraft cairier groups.
flocciput 11mo ago
> Story source: Universe Today Just link that article. I hate this story recycling thing some sites do.

105 points by ashishgupta2209 11mo ago

Source: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/one-extremophile-eats-martian-dirt-survives-in-space-and-can-create-oxygen-for-colonies https://www.universetoday.com/articles/one-extremophile-eats...

canadiantim 11mo ago

Lame title. Life wasn’t found on mars they just cultured a microbe on soil from mars.

stevenjgarner 11mo ago
IMHO I feel the title is appropriate. They are not claiming to have found life on Mars, they are making the very pivotal claim that there are forms of life that can turn liabilities on Mars into assets.
- stavros 11mo ago
  Agreed, the clear was very clear for me too. I wonder what the microbe eats, and if we can supply that in enough volumes to make a dent to Mars' atmosphere.
- nephihaha 11mo ago
  True, it is deliberately misleading. However, some possible indicators of life have been found on Mars although these are contested. Two thar I can think of are methane emissions on the planets, and the soil tests by the Viking landers in the seventies, which returned ambiguous results.
  - bilekas 11mo ago
    > True, it is deliberately misleading. It's not misleading, this article has nothing to do with finding life on Mars. > If humans ever build bases on Mars, they will need systems that can provide oxygen without constant resupply from Earth Have you READ the article ? Or just misinterpreted the title and then commented ?
    - canadiantim 11mo ago
      It is misleading. The title suggests they found a microbe on mars: "Researchers Find Microbe... from Martian Soil". They did not.
      - nephihaha 11mo ago
        Punctuation is everything.
    - nephihaha 11mo ago
      I read it first. That second comment about bases is not mine.
bilekas 11mo ago
The title nor the article ever said that life was found on Mars ?
Gravityloss 11mo ago
scientist discover microbe [...] from martian soil [...] microbe produces oxygen from martian soil I guess you read it the former way while most people read it the latter way. Neither is wrong or right. Slightly garden-pathy title.

stevenjgarner 11mo ago

This is so inspiring. It has become almost axiomatic that Martian regolith is toxic. [1] This microbe research represents a move in thinking from planetary protection (protecting us from Mars) to In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), using Mars to support us. The microbe turns two liabilities — the high perchlorate ClO4 mineral content and the atmospheric CO2 — into the two necessities for a colony: building material and breathable air. [1] References: Davila, A. F., Willson, D., Coates, J. D., & McKay, C. P. (2013). Perchlorate on Mars: a chemical hazard and a resource for humans. International Journal of Astrobiology, 12(4), 321–325. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1473550413000189 https://doi.org/10.1017/s1473550413000189 Oze, C., Beisel, J., Dabsys, E., Dall, J., North, G., Scott, A., Lopez, A. M., Holmes, R., & Fendorf, S. (2021). Perchlorate and Agriculture on Mars. Soil Systems, 5(3), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems5030037 https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems5030037 Perchlorate on Mars – Overview and Implications. (2019). (NASA Technical Report). Perchlorate-Reducing Biofilms Open a New Avenue for Martian Agriculture. (n.d.). Current Trends in Biotechnology and Bioengineering Sciences, 1(1). Potential Health Impacts, Treatments, and Countermeasures of Martian Dust on Future Human Space Exploration. (n.d.). Life.

HPsquared 11mo ago
That reminds of how oxygen itself was highly toxic to the early anaerobic lifeforms on Earth.
ashishgupta2209 11mo ago
[flagged]

adrian_b 11mo ago

As always, the title is grossly incorrect. The "microbe", is a blue-green alga, Chroococcidiopsis. It does not produce oxygen from Martian soil, but from water, if you give water and solar light to it. The newsworthy part is that this cyanobacterium can survive in the presence of the toxic Martian soil and it can also survive the freezing caused by the Martian temperatures. Therefore it could be used in some kind of greenhouses built on Mars, but a water source for supplying the greenhouse must be found. In general, on Mars producing enough water to cover all needs will be the greatest technical challenge. All other substances are abundant enough in comparison with the required quantities, except possibly the noble gases, like argon and helium (but in the non-oxidizing Martian atmosphere there will be much less need of inert gases for techniques like welding).

bilekas 11mo ago
I am quite ignorant on these specifics but wouldn't it be feasable to basically have them in a greenhouse environment, heated, in the North pole area, where I believe there was some form of IceWater found.. If possible to even melt some of that, and let that cascade the effect ? https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Water_ice_in_crater_at_Martian_north_pole https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_E...
- adrian_b 11mo ago
  That would work only for a base located at the North pole. If you want to explore other regions, or to set there a base, for instance for extracting some useful minerals, all the water will have to be transported from the poles, unless some quantities of ice will be discovered underground elsewhere (or of hydrated rocks, which can produce water when heated enough). Unless enough ice or hydrated rocks are discovered underground elsewhere, the amount of ice from the poles will sustain only a small human population.
stevenjgarner 11mo ago
How is it "grossly incorrect"? Using both taxonomic and size classification, is it not accurate to refer to a blue-green alga as a "microbe" or "microorganism." [1] A microbe (or microorganism) is generally defined as an organism that is microscopic—too small to be seen clearly by the naked eye. Blue-green algae fit this definition as they are single-celled or form microscopic colonies. The scientific name for blue-green algae is cyanobacteria, which are technically a type of bacteria, universally classified as microbes. [2] They are prokaryotes (lacking a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles), and the two prokaryotic domains of life (Bacteria and Archaea) are composed entirely of microbes. [1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9025173/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9025173/ [2] https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/blue-green-algae/faqs https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/bl...

vinni2 11mo ago

“Researchers tested this by using soil that mimics Martian regolith. “ Would this hold for real Martian regolith?

fnands 11mo ago
Once the Mars Sample Return brings some back we can test that...

philipwhiuk 11mo ago

We've had artifical oxygen generation for a while: [0] . It's probably useful to have a biological method. The survivability in the soil bit is actually the more important piece. [0] https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance/perseverance-rover/nasas-oxygen-generating-experiment-moxie-completes-mars-mission/ https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance/perseve...

georgeecollins 11mo ago

No one writes about technology to colonize Antarctica. Its warmer, has more ready water, less radiation and a breathable atmosphere. Plus its much easier to transport supplies.

glitchc 11mo ago
Going to Mars gives us biodome diversity. What's the gain in making Antarctica habitable? It's not like we're running out of land, and there are many underutilized parcels of land elsewhere on the planet that would be easier to terraform than Antarctica.
- TheOtherHobbes 11mo ago
  We're terraforming Antarctica to make it (potentially) habitable anyway. Whether we like it or not.
- nephihaha 11mo ago
  I think they need to terraform the world's megacities first. :)
scandox 11mo ago
Yes and 19th century gentleman scientists were a lot more interested in studying savage tribes than their valets. Imagination is a great motivator and it is more stimulated by what is far away than what is near.

kragen 11mo ago

I thought Martian soil was full of perchlorate, which produces oxygen if you just get it wet and expose it to somewhere the gas can escape? I guess we'll never know, because this article is just blogspam linking another blogspam article that doesn't link the actual preprint, just says, "A recent paper from Daniella Billi of the University of Rome Tor Vergata , [sic] published in pre-print form in Acta Astronautica, reviews how one particular extremophile fills the role of both useful test subject and useful tool all at once."

metalman 11mo ago

Such a bad headline, and while some martian soils might not be instantly fatal to everything once pressurised, and hydrated, the actual ambient conditions on mars, will in fact kill any and all earth life. Building a greenhouse that will feed a human colony on mars is a 2 trillion dollar spend, with a hundred billion.a year to keep the bus running, which I think is something humanity neds to.do, but the only way we can afford it, is to re allot the budgets spent now on aircraft cairier groups.

flocciput 11mo ago

> Story source: Universe Today Just link that article. I hate this story recycling thing some sites do.