Life on Mars? Microbes SURVIVE in space, boosting hopes of alien life on Mars

Researchers placed a case of microbes to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS), where they were blasted with brutal cosmic radiation and the suffocating vacuum of space for 18 exhausting months.

And scientists were stunned to discover some of the small lifeforms survived, suggesting similar basic forms of life could thrive on Mars.

Several archaea and bacteria species fared the best, while more complex, multicellular organisms like fungi and lichens struggled a bit more.

The research was conducted at the German Aerospace Centre in Cologne, Germany.

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