Superpotent space microorganisms

2004/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Mikrobiologia

Despite hitting a planet, some microorganisms manage to survive. That's what at least a group of British researchers believe. According to them, it is possible that in the fallen meteorites of Mars the organisms of this planet reach Earth and that they are able to reproduce here.

Researchers have proven that microorganisms can withstand speeds as high as 11 km/second. At the same time, the shock against the icy surface has a capacity for durability, so in the moons Ganymede or Europe of Jupiter would go ahead.

In previous tests, few microorganisms were alive after high pressures. In addition, when traveling in the solar system it was thought that cosmic rays and ultraviolet radiation would kill.

In the study now conducted it has been tested with the sword of a common bacteria found on Earth and that, being inside a meteor, would be able to resist the shock. And if it fell into the ice, the microorganisms would survive even more. From these results it follows that in meteorites it is possible that certain microorganisms travel from one planet to another or to their moons.