A study by microbiologist Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has found that a fungus called Aspergillus calidoustus could potentially be hard enough to survive the radiation, near-vacuum, and temperature conditions of deep space. This discovery could help scientists better quantify potential microbial survival risks on Mars. The study was published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. It also suggests that fungi could represent a critical gap in current interplanetary contamination strategies. According to Article IX of the UN's Outer Space Treaty of 1967, space exploration must take steps to avoid harmful contamination of other worlds.