NASA finds microbes may survive in lunar south pole shadows
Technology
Turns out, some human microbes may actually survive on the moon, at least in the super-cold, shadowy spots near its South Pole.
NASA researchers found that tough little organisms like Aspergillus niger can hang on in these dark craters, even if they may not be able to grow or multiply.
It's wild to think our germs might stick around longer than we do!
Lunar discovery raises contamination control concerns
This discovery could make studying the moon's untouched history trickier and has big implications for Mars missions too.
Scientists will need to be extra careful about not mixing up Earth germs with possible alien life.
Plus, learning how these microbes survive gives us a chance to improve contamination controls for future deep-space adventures.