Water Bears Might Help Humans Colonize Mars

 Perhaps you have heard of tardigrades, also known as water bears or moss piglets. They are tiny, 8-legged critters that live in water. They can be found all over our planet. They are known to survive extreme conditions. They can be frozen, boiled, dried out, or stuck on the outside of a spacecraft in the vacuum and high radiation levels of space and still survive. This survivability may prove to be very important to future Martian colonists.

National Geographic describes them like this. “Scientists have discovered roughly 1,300 species of tardigrades worldwide. These creatures are considered aquatic because they need a thin layer of water around their bodies to prevent dehydration. Despite their need for water, they live in all kinds places, from the deep sea and hot springs to terrestrial environments like sand dunes. Terrestrial tardigrades prefer freshwater mosses and lichen habitats, hence their nickname, moss piglet.”

Tardigrade, also known as water bears and moss piglets. Shuttercock

Martian colonists will have to grow their own food. Sending constant supply ships to deliver food and water is impossible. But the soil of Mars is poisonous to plants, primarily due to high levels of salt, particularly perchlorate, in the planet’s soil. In the movie “The Martian” starring Matt Damon, an astronaut who was mistakenly thought to have died, was left on Mars. He managed to grow potatoes and survived until he could contact Earth and have a rescue mission sent to retrieve him.

A recent paper from researchers in the U.S., Poland and the U.K. led by lead author Corien Bowerman’s, a professor of Microbiology at Penn State, shows how tardigrades might help future astronauts survive on Mars. A major part of the diet of Tardigrades consists of the cellular fluids of bacteria and other microscopic cells. They can clean the soil to help crops grow.

Potatoes and many other crops could be grown in Martian soil, except for the salts. The soil on Mars isn’t like what’s in your backyard. The planet is covered in loose, rocky debris and dust, what scientists call regolith. The researchers added tardigrades to some simulated Martian regolith but within two days, the hardy water bears all died. In order to remove any toxic contaminates in the soil, they washed it with water then added more tardigrades. To the researchers delight, they thrived.

Martian colonists drillingh for water. NASA

The researchers concluded that tardigrades could help future colonists on Mars survive. Once the regolith covered by greenhouses was cleaned, the tiny creatures would help Earth crops grow. The researchers cautions that more study is need. “These experiments have ramifications for the choice of species for functional soils to support plants and humans on Mars and for the limitations of terrestrial life; however, more testing is necessary to fully understand the potential habitability and dangers of Martian regolith.”

Martian Colony. NASA

We may have our first Martian colony within a few decades. The tiny water bears will help those brave colonists to survive.

  

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. After it is published there, I post that same column to my blog page.

This is reprinted with permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.