BGU and NASA Study Reveals Microscopic Life Surviving Extreme Desert Conditions

A joint study by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed microscopic life forms capable of surviving under some of the harshest environmental conditions on Earth. The discovery sheds light on how life endures in hyper-arid deserts and offers valuable insights for the search for microbial life beyond our planet.

The research, published in Environmental Microbiology Reports, examined microorganisms living within sandstone rocks in Israel’s Timna Valley, one of the driest regions in the country. The team identified a unique community of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) that survive by entering long-term dormancy, a strategy that enables them to withstand heat, ultraviolet radiation, and prolonged drought.

“Just a few millimeters below the surface of the sandstone lies a protected microbial ecosystem,” explains Dr. Irit Nir of BGU’s Department of Biotechnology Engineering, who led the study. “This microenvironment shields the bacteria from heat and radiation while allowing enough light and moisture for photosynthesis. We even tested sandstone samples stored in dark, dry conditions for more than 25 years and found the microbial community still viable.”

The research was conducted in collaboration with the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center and NASA’s Ames Research Center. Prof. Ariel Kushmaro, head of the research group, notes that the findings reveal how the physical properties of local sandstone, together with rare rainfall and limited dew formation, create selective conditions that favor the survival of photosynthetic bacteria.

Based on detailed geological, microbiological, and long-term climate data, the team concluded that Timna’s microbial communities can persist for decades in the absence of water, without losing pigmentation or undergoing major structural change.

These findings provide important clues for astrobiology, particularly in the search for evidence of life on Mars. Within the rock’s tiny pores, bacteria are protected from lethal radiation and desiccation through extended dormancy, reactivating only when rare water becomes available. This survival strategy, combined with the production of organic molecules, could leave identifiable biosignatures in Martian rocks. The study also suggests that microbial metabolic processes may alter mineral compositions, leaving isotopic or textural traces that indicate biological activity.

The research team included Prof. Ariel Kushmaro, Dr. Irit Nir, and Dr. Hanna Barak of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; Dr. Rachel Armoza-Zvoloni of the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center in Eilat; Dr. Christopher P. McKay of NASA Ames Research Center, USA; and Dr. Asunción de los Ríos of the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid, Spain. The study was supported by the Israel Ministry of Science, the Goren-Goldstein Foundation, and a NASA Ames Research Center grant.