Tiny Life Survives Asteroid-Scale Shock in Lithopanspermia Test
TL;DR
Johns Hopkins researchers simulated the harsh journey life might take on a rock traveling between planets, blasting Deinococcus radiodurans between metal plates at speeds up to 300 mph to mimic asteroid ejection from Mars. The microbes withstood 1–3 gigapascals of pressure, with only some internal damage, while the steel plates failed. The study lends support to the lithopanspermia idea that life could hitch rides on asteroids, but it remains unproven and limited in scope, and it underscores the need for planetary protection and further testing on other extremophiles.
Topics:sciencespace-and-spaceflight#asteroids#astrobiology#extremophiles#lithopanspermia#mars#space-and-spaceflight
- Did Life Hitch a Ride to Earth? Scientists Smashed the Living Crap Out of Microbes to Find Out Gizmodo
- Experiment Shows Possibility of Martian Microbes Hitching a Ride to Earth The New York Times
- Life forms can planet hop on asteroid debris—and survive Phys.org
- Blasted off Mars and still alive ScienceDaily
- Some Extremophiles Could Survive an Asteroid Impact on Mars, and the Dangerous Journey to Earth Universe Today
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