NASA发现地球微生物可能在月球存活

NASA科学家的最新研究表明，地球微生物可能在月球南极的寒冷阴影区域存活下来。1这项研究于2026年8月19日发表在《科学进展》期刊上，由NASA戈达德航天飞行中心的Prabal Saxena主导。1研究团队测试了5种微生物，包括黑曲霉菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、放射性球菌和镰刀菌属，发现这些微生物在月球南极的诺比尔陆缘、连接岭和德格拉舍陆缘等地点能够存活至少一个地球日。1

这一发现具有重要的科学意义。1存活的微生物可能会使未来对月球原始化学成分和火星生命迹象的科学搜索变得复杂化。1研究显示，存活微生物的生存范围广泛，从数英里宽的陨石坑地板到与宇航员脚印一样小的区域均有分布。1Prabal Saxena指出："人类是天生的探险家，他们带去的不仅是声音和记忆……还有他们的微生物。"1考虑到人类皮肤每个铅笔橡皮擦大小的区域约有100万细菌，这种微生物的携带和传播风险不容忽视。1

Researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have discovered that certain microorganisms from Earth could potentially survive in the cold, shadowed regions near the Moon's south pole, according to a study published on August 19, 2026, in Science Advances 1. The investigation examined five microbial species, including Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Deinococcus radiodurans, and Fusarium species, with survival defined as microbes persisting for at least one Earth day 1. Lead researcher Prabal Saxena stated, "Humans are natural explorers, and with them come their voices, their memories … and their microbes," emphasizing the inevitability of microbial transfer during lunar exploration 1.

The survival zones identified span remarkably varied scales, ranging from impact crater floors several miles wide to areas as small as astronaut footprints 1. This finding carries significant implications for future scientific investigations, as viable Earth microbes could complicate efforts to detect the Moon's pristine chemical composition and to search for signs of past life on Mars 1. The research underscores a practical challenge: robotic spacecraft undergo sterilization at temperatures exceeding 400 degrees Fahrenheit, yet human skin alone harbors approximately one million bacteria per area the size of a pencil eraser, making microbial contamination during crewed missions a persistent concern 1.