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Common Yeast Can Survive Martian Conditions (phys.org)

(Wednesday October 15, 2025 @03:00AM (BeauHD) from the out-of-this-world dept.)


A new study shows that common baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) [1]can survive Mars-like conditions , including meteorite shock waves and toxic perchlorate salts found in Martian soil. Phys.org reports:

> [2]Published in PNAS Nexus , Purusharth I. Rajyaguru and colleagues subjected Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is a widely used model yeast, to shock waves and perchlorates. The authors chose the yeast in part because it has already been studied in space. When stressed, yeast, humans, and many other organisms form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) condensates, structures made of RNA and proteins that protect RNA and affect the fates of mRNAs. When the stressor passes, the RNP condensates, which include subtypes known as stress granules and P-bodies, disassemble.

>

> The authors simulated Martian shock waves at the High-Intensity Shock Tube for Astrochemistry (HISTA) housed in the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India. Yeast exposed to 5.6 Mach intensity shock waves survived with slowed growth, as did yeast subjected to 100 mM sodium salt of perchlorate (NaClO4) -- a concentration similar to that in Martian soils. Yeast cells also survived exposure to the combined stress of shock waves and perchlorate stress. In both cases, the yeast assembled RNP condensates. Shock waves induced the assembly of stress granules and P-bodies; perchlorate caused yeast to make P-bodies but not stress granules. Mutants incapable of assembling RNP condensates were poor at surviving the Martian stress condition. Transcriptome analysis identified specific RNA transcripts perturbed by Mars-like conditions.



[1] https://phys.org/news/2025-10-common-yeast-survive-martian-conditions.html

[2] https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf300



Including air pressure (or lack thereof)? (Score:2)

by dgatwood ( 11270 )

Surviving Martian soil is the easy part. Being able to survive at near zero air pressure is the hard part.

Re: (Score:2)

by bleedingobvious ( 6265230 )

Not forgetting inconsequential things like temperature and radiation as well....

Just surviving is irrelevant (Score:2)

by Viol8 ( 599362 )

Plenty of microbes and tardigrades can survive extremely harsh conditions by going into a kind of suspended animation. Thats not much use for growing and reproduction however. "Surviving" in the case of this yeast seems to mean little more than not immediately dying.

A new TV special (Score:2)

by Randseed ( 132501 )

Martha Stewart bakes bread...on Mars!

Re: A new TV special (Score:2)

by mhajicek ( 1582795 )

Potato bread?

Next paper... (Score:1)

by dsvilko ( 217134 )

Is European swallow well adapted to life on Earth?

In this study, we investigate how well swallows cope with being in a cage tied to the front of a typical concert speaker as can be found on Earth. Significant reduction in the reproduction rate has been noted and in the conclusion we discuss the impact this will have on the future of the species.

Thank god (Score:3)

by thegarbz ( 1787294 )

A Mars without beer is not a Mars I want to visit.

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