Bacteria survive for years in world's driest desert: Study
Mars could harbour life, scientists believe after finding bacteria in Chile's Atacama Desert that can lie dormant without rain for a decade before being 'reactivated'. Atacama, which gets less than 20 millimetres of rainfall annually, is considered Earth's driest place. As the moisture left the soil, after a year or two, the microbes began to revert to their dormant state.