A bacterium already famous for shrugging off extreme radiation and desiccation has now passed another brutal test: surviving the kind of violent impact that could blast rocks off the surface of Mars.

Inside the ultra-clean rooms where NASA assembles its Mars-bound spacecraft, the air is filtered, the surfaces are scrubbed with industrial disinfectants, and technicians wear full-body suits to keep ...

The latest fungus on Mars research is drawing attention after scientists tested whether certain space resistant microbes could survive conditions similar to space travel and the Martian surface. The ...