Defined Mars Media (DMM), a chemically defined simulant of the soluble macro- and micro- nutrients in Mars regolith for use in biological research
Authored by Harley Greene, Una Nattermann, Devon A Stork, Fatima R Martin, Max G Schubert, Tom Pedersen, Edward Sukarto, Amy Spens, Jordan E Mancuso, Keren Isaev, Nathan D Hicks, Jonathan Liu, Rachel Harris, Charles S Cockell, Samuel P Kounaves, and Erika A DeBenedictis
Posted
April 25, 2026
Server
bioRxiv
Mars′ relatively moderate surface conditions, availability of solar energy, and in situ resources like water ice, carbon dioxide, and mineral-rich regolith make it a compelling target for supporting life beyond Earth. However, existing experiments testing habitability in Mars conditions generally rely on leachates of physical regolith simulants, which vary in composition across simulant types, leaching conditions, and production batches. We introduce a defined Mars media (DMM) that accurately simulates the biologically relevant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur) and stressors (perchlorates, heavy metals) in Martian regolith when it is leached in water at neutral pH. We formulated DMM by combining direct rover and lander measurements from Mars with laboratory measurements of regolith simulant leachates. We validate DMM from a 1x to 20x concentrate, equivalent to 40 g/L to 800 g/L of leached regolith. Using DMM with acetate as a Mars atmosphere-derived carbon source, we grew eight heterotrophic bacteria, confirming that organisms can source all essential nutrients from Martian resources. We also show that microbial growth in DMM is robust to uncertainties in Martian regolith composition: sensitivity experiments can identify limiting trace element nutrients and toxins in DMM, and demonstrate that bacterial growth is maintained across at least an order of magnitude variation in their concentrations. This is the first defined Mars regolith media recipe containing both macro- and micro- nutrients, and designed specifically for biological experimentation. By shifting from variable leachate-based approaches to a defined aqueous analog, we enable controlled hypothesis testing of microbial survival, growth, and function. DMM will enable further research on astrobiology, biological in situ resource utilization, large-scale soil remediation, and terraforming.