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The ability of organisms to enter a state of dormancy, that is, to temporarily reduce their metabolic activity, may be a key factor in survival both on Earth and in the extreme conditions of other planets.
Dormancy, or a hypometabolic state, allows organisms to withstand adverse conditions such as extreme temperatures, drought, or low light. For example, plants and seeds can survive harsh seasons through dormancy, and animals can conserve energy by entering hibernation until the environment improves. This mechanism can also protect organisms from complete extinction during global catastrophes such as mass extinctions.
A study by Kevin D. Webster and Jay T. Lennon, published in The Royal Society Journals, considers the possibility that quiescence may have been an important stage in evolution on Earth. The authors note that in the early stages of life, organisms needed to create protective structures to isolate cellular components from adverse environments. Quiescence served as a kind of “pause,” allowing life to survive difficult periods when errors in DNA or external cataclysms could halt evolutionary development.
This concept also finds application in astrobiology. If primitive organisms are able to enter a state of dormancy, they could survive on planets with extreme conditions, such as Mars or Venus. Where periods of activity are followed by long periods of unfavorable climate, dormancy could ensure survival until more favorable times arrive.
Thus, the ability to remain quiescent not only helped Earth's organisms survive five mass extinctions, but may also be a universal characteristic of life that exists in extraterrestrial environments. If so, quiescence becomes a potential clue to the search for life beyond our planet, even in the harshest of cosmic environments.
