Recent research suggests that the Moon's permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) might be capable of harboring microbial life due to their extreme cold and protection from harmful UV radiation. The study, presented at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, posits that while microbes cannot actively grow in these regions, they could remain viable for decades. This discovery has implications for lunar exploration missions, particularly in avoiding contamination of the lunar surface with Earth microbes—an abiding concern for scientists engaged in studying extraterrestrial environments.
"In space, microbes are typically killed by high heat and ultraviolet radiation… the PSRs are very cold and very dark and, as a result, they are one of the most protective environments in the Solar System for the kinds of microbes that are typically present on spacecraft."
"To be clear, those microbes cannot metabolize, replicate or grow here, but they likely remain viable for decades until their spores are killed by the effects of vacuum."
Collection
[
|
...
]