Astrobiologists have revealed new details about hypolithic cyanobacteria living in a range of different rock types from the Silver Lake region of the Mojave Desert. This area of the Mojave has been studied as a geological analog to Mars, and has several different rock types colonized by hypoliths. The results show that the cyanobacteria Chroococcidiopsis is able to colonize dry environments in a variety of rocks and with varying availability of light for photosynthesis.

The study, “Comparative analysis of cyanobacteria inhabiting rocks with different light transmittance in the Mojave Desert: a Mars terrestrial analogue,” was published in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

The research was supported in part by the Astrobiology Science & Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) element of the NASA Astrobiology Program.