Salt-Loving Microbe Can Grow Under Mars-Like Conditions: Study

Nov 5, 2026 - 20:30

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Salt-Loving Microbe Can Grow Under Mars-Like Conditions: Study

This SEM micrograph (12,000x magnification) shows Haloferax volcanii after 160 days of anaerobic incubation with 100 mM nitrate under low-pressure Martian conditions (24 mbar); high-magnification imaging shows predominantly spherical cells located outside, immediately beneath, and embedded within an extensive biofilm matrix; thin appendage-like structures and associations among adjacent cells are also visible. Scale bar - 1 µm. Image credit: Robinson et al., doi: 10.1128/aem.01749-26.

Haloferax volcanii, a model halophilic (salt-loving) archaeon, showed growth during a 160-day experiment simulating Martian subsurface brine, according to a paper published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

The post Salt-Loving Microbe Can Grow Under Mars-Like Conditions: Study appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

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