DNA Can Survive Reentry from Space

In a new study published today in PLOS ONE, a team of Swiss and German scientists report that they dotted the exterior grooves of a rocket with fragments of DNA to test the genetic material’s stability in space. Surprisingly, they discovered that some of those building blocks of life remained intact during the hostile conditions of the flight and could pass on genetic information even after exiting and reentering the atmosphere during a roughly 13-minute round trip into space.

DNA Can Survive Reentry from Space

Panspermia?

The rocket test may fall short of representing the faster speed and higher energy of a meteor hurtling into our atmosphere, but it does suggest that even if the outside of a meteor was scorched, genetic material in certain places on the meteor could survive higher temperatures than scientists had previously realized and make it to Earth. The findings are “a stop on the way to understanding what the limits are for DNA’s survival,” says research scientist Christopher Carr of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was not involved with the work but called the results “provocative.” The next steps, he says, would be to further pin down what temperature and pressure would ultimately kill DNA.

Very provocative indeed

Now this, and not to long ago possible live in Europe, is disclosure coming soon?

Thought that panspermia was pretty much already proven with the red rain in Kerala india ....this adds confirmation.....!

a reply to: stirling

wasn't that plankton or something?

a reply to: Indigent
Not plankton but algal spores is one theory. One with some terrestrial evidence rather than pure speculation.

Samples of lichen collected from there also were cultured in the microbiology laboratory of TBGRI. The study showed that the lichen collected from the site gave rise to algae similar to the ones cultured from the spores obtained from the rain water samples. The spores in the rainwater, therefore, most probably are of local origin.

web.archive.org...://www.geocities.com/iamgoddard/Sampath2001.pdf

a reply to: Indigent

Interesting indeed.


Maybe there's a combination of both the panspermia and primordial soup mechanisms going on ?

If that's the case, then it seems pretty inevitable that life will develop on just about any and every hospitable host (planet or otherwise) out there in the universe.

That's a whole lotta life goin' on !

Food for thought.

a reply to: Indigent

This further confirms the validity of the theory that micro-organisms can be hurled through space to seed life on sterile planets with the conditions required to sustain the materials. That's an awesome discovery.

originally posted by: Asynchrony
a reply to: Indigent

This further confirms the validity of the theory that micro-organisms can be hurled through space to seed life on sterile planets with the conditions required to sustain the materials. That's an awesome discovery.

I think we'll never know. I'm usually a pretty tough skeptic of non-mainstream science, but there might be something to panspermia.

Two suggestive properties:

a) microbial life (archaea and bacteria) appeared very early on in Earth's history. More complex life didn't.

b) some microbes turned out to be highly resistant to space exposure, forming colonies/spores or something and peforming behaviors which seemed to be designed to be resistant to radiation and space exposure. Why would such a thing ever evolve on Earth? Suppose it's an ancient program being woken up by the space experience? Later lifeforms evolved on Earth do not have this ability and are sensitive to radiation and space exposure.

As life evolved on Earth so did the atmosphere change along with it. It could be that early microbial life on Earth was more radiation resistant and as the atmosphere thickened those defense mechanisms declined.


a reply to: mbkennel

Later lifeforms evolved on Earth do not have this ability and are sensitive to radiation and space exposure.

This thread will be discussed on ATS live! tonight

www.abovetopsecret.com...

This thread will be discussed on ATS live! tonight

www.abovetopsecret.com...