Microorganisms from Earth could hitch a ride on spacecraft and end up colonizing the Red Planet and other celestial bodies in the solar system, recent research suggests. The new research has implications for the search for life in the solar system: If Earth's microbes can survive the perilous journey to other planets and moons, it may be difficult to determine whether any microbial life discovered on those bodies originated there or was introduced from Earth, scientists say. This level, called the "bioburden," is based on studies that tested how resistant different microbes are to intense radiation and other dangers associated with space travel. However, research detailed in three studies published in the journal Astrobiology in 2012 suggest that the current bioburden standard isn't set high enough, because some microbes are far hardier than expected.
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