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Tokyo (AFP)
Scientists have found that radiation-resistant bacteria can survive at least three years in orbit, suggesting that simple life forms can manage the long journey between Earth and Mars without protection.
The Japanese scientists behind the study said on Wednesday that the finding is credible to the so-called “panspermia theory”, which states that microbes can travel from one planet to another, and bring life to life upon arrival.
To test the theory, the researchers deposited a bacterium called Deinococcus radiodurans outside the International Space Station at an altitude of 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Earth.
Despite enduring the harsh environment of space and exposure to strong UV and large temperature changes, the bacterium still lives in parts after three years.
“I knew it would survive after performing various experiments in the lab, but when it came back to life, I was overwhelmed,” said Akihiko Yamagishi, student writer and emeritus professor at the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences. , against AFP.
The results show that the bacteria can eliminate a journey between Mars and Earth, and open up intriguing possibilities, he said.
“Everyone thinks that the origin of life on earth began, but the new findings indicate that other planets may also be where life began.”
Yamagishi and his team hope to perform similar experiments outside the Van Allen radiator belt, which would expose the bacteria to even more radiation.
Scientists believe that Mars more than three billion years ago was much warmer than it is today and was covered with rivers and lakes, conditions that could lead to a simple microbial life.
The discovery, published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, returns with Mars in the headlines as three missions to the Red Planet.
They include the Hope probe of the United Arab Emirates, the Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States, all of which benefit from a period in which Earth and Mars are closer to each other than normal.
© 2020 AFP
