In a finding that could have an impact on the search for life on Mars and other planets, scientists say they have detected hardy microbes that seem to thrive in the radiation, cold and darkness at the South Pole. “If the team’s conclusions prove true, the discovery not only has important implications for the search for life in other extreme environments on Earth, but also for the possibility that life — at least at the microscopic level — may exist elsewhere in the solar system,” the National Science Foundation (NSF) said on Thursday in a statement.