<ul><li>Dozens of never-before-seen species of extremophile bacteria were discovered in a NASA clean room used to quarantine a Mars lander before its successful launch more than 17 years ago.</li><li>Some of these extremophile microbes may have the capability to survive the vacuum of space, although there is no evidence of contamination of the spacecraft or Mars.</li><li>The discovery was made when researchers reanalyzed samples from the clean room and found DNA from 26 novel species of bacteria, with genes that enable them to thrive in extreme environments.</li><li>Finding these extremophiles is important for understanding potential extraterrestrial microbes, preventing contamination, and exploring applications in medicine, food preservation, and biotechnologies.</li></ul>

Never-before-seen 'extreme' microbes surrounded NASA robot before it was sent to Mars 18 years ago, new study reveals

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