The Hitcher
Researchers in Japan say a sample of bacteria managed to survive for three whole years in the space vacuum, outside the International Space Station – increasing the possibility that illegal organisms could unknowingly make a trip to Mars on an exploration mission .
“The results suggest that [bacteria] could survive during the journey from Earth to Mars and vice versa, which is several months or years in the shortest orbit, ‘said Akihiko Yamagishi, a professor of molecular biology at the University of Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences who worked on the investigation, in a press release about the investigation.
Mars Tho
According to a new paper on the study published in the journal Boundaries in microbiology, called the bacteria in question Deinococcus, which tends to form small colonies and is resistant to ultraviolet radiation.
Yamagishi has previously investigated the ability of Deinococcus to survive miles above the earth’s surface with balloons and airplanes.
Panspermia
Yamagishi’s research was motivated by the theory of panspermia, which states that life is capable of spreading through space, perhaps by reaching a ride on meteorites.
“The origin of life on earth is the greatest mystery of man,” Yamagashi said. “Scientists may have completely different views on the matter. Some think that life is very rare and only happened once in the Universe, while others think that life can happen on any suitable planet. If panspermia is possible, then life must exist much more often than we previously thought. ”
READ MORE: Bacteria can survive journeys between Earth and Mars in forming aggregates [EurekAlert]
More about panspermia: New evidence that life on earth could come from space
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