Eight different species of bacteria can thrive on a specific recipe of Martian soil without any nutrients from Earth.
April 26, 2026
Original Paper
Defined Mars Media (DMM), a chemically defined simulant of the soluble macro- and micro- nutrients in Mars regolith for use in biological research
bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.04.24.719001
The Takeaway
Researchers created a chemically defined liquid that perfectly mimics the minerals and metals found in the dust on Mars. They proved that microbes do not need organic supplements from our home planet to survive in this alien environment. This is the first time a standardized Mars Media has been available for biological testing. It removes the guesswork from how future colonies might grow food or produce oxygen using local dirt. This recipe confirms that the red planet is chemically ready to support microbial life as soon as we arrive.
From the abstract
Mars' relatively moderate surface conditions, availability of solar energy, and in situ resources like water ice, carbon dioxide, and mineral-rich regolith make it a compelling target for supporting life beyond Earth. However, existing experiments testing habitability in Mars conditions generally rely on leachates of physical regolith simulants, which vary in composition across simulant types, leaching conditions, and production batches. We introduce a defined Mars media (DMM) that accurately si