As humans going to Mars is getting more and more realistic, with new spacecraft able to carry people and cargo to the Red Planet being successfully developed, we cant help but wonder what living there would be like. Those of us who feed our imagination on sci-fi stories about Mars can almost see ourselves walking Martian settlements ' brand-new streets Scientists, however, remain down-to-earth on the matter. Some of their research is far from optimistic. But is this to discourage humanity from going there at all, or to help us be better stewards of the planet for its sake as well as our own?

What will it be like when humans will have started settling on Mars? Among other things, there will have to be science laboratories, where experts will be able to conduct unique research vital for further space exploration and colonization, as well as for life on Earth. Those who work there will, of course, need to live their lives there, eating, drinking, socializing Thinking of the promise theRed Planetholds is a thrill.

However, big things start small and the smallest things are the easiest to overlook. Have you ever thought that Mars first population from Earth could be microscopic organisms?

In August, the FEMSMicrobiology Ecology journal publisheda research listing bacteria, viruses, and fungi responsible for life processes on Earth as Mars 'first colonists'.

'Life as we know it cannot exist without beneficial microorganisms. To survive on a barren sterile planet, we will have to take beneficial microbes with us,' author of the paper, prof. Jose Lopez from Nova Southeastern University, says in apress release.

But what about the strict non-contamination guidelines NASA and all space programs have always respected? All things that are sent to space are first thoroughly sterilized, and protection from all sorts of contamination and microorganisms is ensured. These policies arent there for nothing: we cant put at risk the extraterrestrial environments we study.

However, prof. Lopez and his team insist that beneficial bacteria are necessary for a terraforming process to begin on Mars, and for life to thrive in its naturally harsh environment.

'Microbial introduction should not be considered accidental but inevitable. We hypothesize the near impossibility of exploring new planets without carrying and/or delivering any microbial travelers,' they write.

This stands to reason. Here onEarth, all biological processes around us and in us, even ourclimate, are determined by, and happen due to, microorganisms activity and on any other planet, including Mars, life would likewise require their support. However, a lot of complex research will have to be done before putting organisms on the Red Planet. Once there, they will be exposed to radiation exceeding by large what they can take. Humans, if they are to survive there, will have to adapt to their new habitat by evolving - and fast.

Thus, the new research argues that the attitude to having microbes in space must change through seeing the benefits. However, at present it is unknown which microbes would be required to help terraform Mars - and cause no damage. Lopez and team believe that extremophiles could be a possibility as they are not merely hypertolerant to very extreme environments, but also thrive in them.

See more here:

What Will Happen if We Put Microorganism on Mars? - Asgardia Space News