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Panspermia/A Critique of Protection of bacterial spores in space, a contribution to the discussion on panspermia

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(Review Paper) Cited in Panspermia/A Critique of Protection of bacterial spores in space, a contribution to the discussion on panspermia

Points Made edit

Regardless of the appropriate conditions, such as water, nutrients and the fact that the dormant spores will grow, creating a potential for panspermia, the environments (threats of vacuums and radiation) in which the spores are growing in are too harsh for further development. Therefore, panspermia can not exist[1].

Methods edit

The article tested their hypothesis by taking different strains of DNA repair capacity to find out the role of DNA repair in the survival after exposed to space. This was done by testing different soils against space spores mixed with clay, red sandstone, meteorite, simulated soil and martian meteorite zagami[1].

The also included glucose to help the survival of the DNA in the space vacuum[1].

The way the DNA was exposed to space was in these 3 different ways- 1) Artificial Meteorites 2) Mixed up layers 3) Shadow layers

The other way DNA was exposed in space was 1) Inside layers 2)Unprotected outside layers[1].

Results edit

This experiment concludes that if cluster bacteria spores are embedded in a substance such as clay or rock, where it is protected against UV radiations and solar rays, there is a slight chance the spores may survive. However, a single spore bacteria attached to microm-sized grains will not survive in space as there is not sufficient protection for growth[1].


This is consistent with the article "Survival of lichens and bacteria exposed to outer space conditions" in that the bacteria could not survive in atmospheric conditions. If bacteria cannot survive in space, life on earth could not have evolved through the idea of panspermia.[2]

References edit

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Horneck, G., Rettberg, P., Reitz, G., Wehner, J., Eschweiler, U., Strauch, K., Panitz, C., Starke, V., & Baumstark-Khan, C. (2001). Protection of bacterial spores in space, a contribution to the discussion on panspermia. Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, 31(6), 527-547. DOI: 10.1023/A:1012746130771. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://www.springerlink.com/content/h171534701359381/
  2. ↑ De La Torrea, R., Sanchob, L., Horneckc, G., De Los Ríos, A., Wierzchosd, J., ...Demets, R. (2010). Survival of lichens and bacteria exposed to outer space conditions – Results of the Lithopanspermia experiments. Icarus, 208, 735-748. http://library.mtroyal.ca:2097/science/article/pii/S0019103510001120
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