DNA discovered on the outside of the International Space Station

I can't find any English-language news articles on this yet, which is strange as the news has been out for quite a while.

As part of an experiment, cosmonauts took samples from the outside surface of the ISS duting a spacewalk. The samples were sent to Earth and studied by microbiologists. And they have found intact DNA! They say that the DNA must have come from living organisms, as "naked" DNA is destroyed fairly quickly in the harshness of space.

Here's a video in Russian:

www.youtube.com...

I'll try to translate the video description:

Russian scientists discovered DNA of microorganisms on the outside of the ISS. Previously, it was thought that the cosmic radiation and temperature swings would kill any life. An experiment by the Russian microbiologists refuted that fact. Russian scientists compared the cosmic samples with the ones on earth, and it turns out that the ones in space come from the so-called extremophiles, bacteria that lives in hot springs or even lava. Now, the task is to figure out how the microbes ended up on the ISS. Did they come from Earth, or from outer space?

oh, and watch that video in HD and full-screen, the quality is amazing!

So, perhaps this suggests that microorganisms, or at least their spores, can travel on comets, asteroids and perhaps even the cosmic dust, and seed other planets or moons with life. What do you think?

a reply to: wildespace
A bit iffy.

At an extravehicular activity Russian cosmonauts took samples from the outside of the Russian module. Those samples were then analyzed in a laboratory on Earth. Within this sample bacterial DNA was discovered.

However, the method by which the samples were analyzed in this case is disputed, as it cannot detect all kinds of bacteria and it also can not test whether the discovered bacteria are living and thriving or not.

Also the biomass that can be extracted from such samples is strongly limited so that at the moment no further tests could have been conducted on it. To do this, more samples would be needed.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

a reply to: Phage

These concerns sound a bit strange to me as: a) why would you need to be able to detect all kinds of bacteria in order to establish that you did indeed find DNA, and b) the completeness of DNA serves as a good indication that it came from living (or recently living) organisms, as naked DNA doesn't last very long in the harshness of space.

Even if those organisms died upon arriving at the ISS, it's still an important discovery that earthly organisms make it that far up into space. Perhaps, thanks to evolution, some of them will be hardy enough to actually survive.

As for repeatability of the experiment, there are plenty of opportunities for that. It wasn't the only time samples have been taken; previously, fragments of DNA have been found, as well as DNA from algae. Americans are very welcome to repeat these experiments, all it takes it a few well-contained swipes taken during a spacewalk.

Perhaps this discovery was hushed up by the Western media because they don't want the Russians taking the limelight.

Are we sure it is not earth born DNA? Be kind of easy to determine....

originally posted by: wildespace
it's still an important discovery that earthly organisms make it that far up into space. Perhaps, thanks to evolution, some of them will be hardy enough to actually survive.

How much astronaut pee and poo is floating in space?

When life is found outside of the confines of Earth, there will be no debate. There are several moons in our own solar system that are harboring conditions ideal for life. If it's there, we will find it and that knowledge will not be easily contained.

I think the confirmation is coming but I can see the need for the gentle ramp up we have been given over the last decade. After all, it will be a game changer, even the presence of bacteria will change the perception of existence for all of human culture.

Think about it.

a reply to: wildespace

I think the point is that it was a very small sample and contamination could not be excluded as a source.

Perhaps this discovery was hushed up by the Western media because they don't want the Russians taking the limelight.

There has been ample opportunity for verification, more samples. There is always RT, right?

Is this different from the algae on the windows? I'm sure algae has DNA or is this like alien space DNA?

a reply to: wildespace

Is it possible this is DNA picked up in the atmosphere while going up.

a reply to: wildespace

It's probably from the people themselves.

Well, their ejected 'waste' anyway.

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: wildespace
it's still an important discovery that earthly organisms make it that far up into space. Perhaps, thanks to evolution, some of them will be hardy enough to actually survive.

How much astronaut pee and poo is floating in space?

Not alot.

Its collected and sent back to earth.

You dont want to dump it in space and then have your turds accelerate round the earth then come back and hit the ISS at the speed of a bullet and kill everyone. Would a #ty way to die.......

a reply to: crazyewok

Hang on...isn't the old chestnut 'It's Ice crystals, not UFOs' often trotted out by the regular debunkers who also say the ice is from ejected astronaut waste, when they are inevitably questioned as to where the ice comes from?

I can remember many times when 'astronaut waste' was given as an excuse for ice crystals acting remarkably like intelligent machines flying around outside of the ISS / Mir.

If they bag it all up and take it home with them...that destroys the ice crystal hypothesis.

originally posted by: MysterX
a reply to: crazyewok

Hang on...isn't the old chestnut 'It's Ice crystals, not UFOs' often trotted out by the regular debunkers who also say the ice is from ejected astronaut waste, when they are inevitably questioned as to where the ice comes from?

I can remember many times when 'astronaut waste' was given as an excuse for ice crystals acting remarkably like intelligent machines flying around outside of the ISS / Mir.

If they bag it all up and take it home with them...that destroys the ice crystal hypothesis.

I think on some of the older crew modules and stations they did just dump it.

But ISS do collect it to reduce debris hazard and to moniter astrohnaught health.

a reply to: wildespace

It reminds me of last year when the Russians said they'd found plankton outside the ISS and the Americans said they hadn't. How was that ever resolved? As far as I can see, that was the end of the matter and we've seen nothing about it since.

Would the Russians seek an advantage by withholding the evidence of their claims? If so, wouldn't the Americans and Europeans be equally able to get out and swab the hull of the ISS. Why don't they?

These are all scientists and would be expected to be collegiate with each other.

a reply to: Kandinsky

They could have messed up the swab.
Pretty easy to do.

originally posted by: MysterX
a reply to: crazyewok

Hang on...isn't the old chestnut 'It's Ice crystals, not UFOs' often trotted out by the regular debunkers who also say the ice is from ejected astronaut waste, when they are inevitably questioned as to where the ice comes from?

I can remember many times when 'astronaut waste' was given as an excuse for ice crystals acting remarkably like intelligent machines flying around outside of the ISS / Mir.

If they bag it all up and take it home with them...that destroys the ice crystal hypothesis.

Ice debris seen in the space footage comes from ammonia coolant pumps and other ice-covered surfaces. They also did occasional waste water dump into space, which created a myriad of tiny ice particles.

a reply to: crazyewok

Yes it is.

What would stop them repeating the process?

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: crazyewok

Yes it is.

What would stop them repeating the process?

How many swabs are up there I guess.

As available space on resupply missions is at a premium with every gram accounted for Im guessing they don’t have a lot of spare swabs lying around.

At about $5-8K a kg a 10g swab is like $100 each to get up and that’s being cheap using space X

a reply to: wildespace

Yes, great HD shots of the ISS and a spacewalk.

Anybody know what the platform-like structure is that is freely moving away from behind the cosmonaut at the 1:00 mark? Do they just dump a large, unwanted part like that? I guess so, no trash pickup up there! Well, yes, they do send back small trash on the returning capsules.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the "sea plankton" that was supposedly discovered outside the ISS last year.

Sea Plankton on Space Station? Russian Official Claims It's So

Cosmonauts on the orbiting outpost have allegedly discovered trace amounts of sea plankton and other microscopic organisms living on the outside of the station, exposed to the vacuum of space, according to a news story quoting space station official Vladimir Solovyov.

However, NASA has not confirmed the reports. "As far as we're concerned, we haven't heard any official reports from our Roscosmos colleagues that they've found sea plankton," NASA spokesman Dan Huot said. Roscosmos is Russia's Federal Space Agency.

I don't think it was ever confirmed. But it still could be linked to that.