# \[Interview+\] Can Mars Fight Back The Contamination from Earth

An episode of [Universe Today Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/794058155), 6 Apr 2026, 31 min.

Audio: https://c10.patreonusercontent.com/4/patreon-media/p/post/153775173/26615eca29cc4bb093b060ee5029e29a/eyJhIjoxLCJpc19hdWRpbyI6MSwicCI6MX0%3D/1.m4a?token-hash=MGGXeKQdPqq5aHljxpK5Hl3lPJd_6uNgIOPWNiuRhKs%3D&token-time=1794355200

BONUS PART STARTS AT 18:21 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K6LbP3Q1iMM Going to Mars means contaminating it with Earth's life. Most probably, we have already done it with our landers. But it appears, things might not be as bad as Mars could have a natural "built-in" protection against contamination. How does it work? Finding out in this interview. 🟣 Guest: Dr. Corien Bakermans https://altoona.psu.edu/person/corien-bakermans-phd 📜 ‘Water bears’ reveal potential for adapting, protecting Martian resources https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/water-bears-reveal-potential-adapting-protecting-martian-resources • 0:00 Intro • 01:48 Fantastic Tardigrades and where to find them • 03:25 Martian regolith vs life • 07:13 Earth soil vs Mars regolith • 09:10 Experimental setup • 14:49 Contamination risks for Mars • 17:13 What's next for the research • 18:21 Sub-zero bacteria • 25:08 Current obsessions • 28:56 Final thoughts

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