How microbes could aid the search for extraterrestrial life

In the quest to address fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and the search for extraterrestrial life, space has been an important frontier for human exploration. Microbes, among the earliest forms of life to appear on Earth, have survived the ravages of time, withstood inhospitable conditions and shaped the planet in unique ways, prompting research and intrigue about the plausibility that somewhere, some sort of microbial life might exist beyond Earth.