Feb 25, 2023 21:00:00

Is it possible for terrestrial microbes to migrate to another planet and survive?

The chemical evolution theory , which believes that life was born through the reaction of organic matter, is a popular theory for the origin of life on Earth. I advocate the panspermia theory that Like the panspermia theory, an animation that explains whether it is possible for living things to move in outer space and move to another celestial body is jointly created by the Open University in the United Kingdom and published on YouTube.

Are we thinking about alien life all wrong? | BBC Ideas - YouTube


The search for extraterrestrial life in space is considered one of the most interesting studies of our time.

There are many videos on the Internet speculating that aliens must have arrived on Earth and visited ancient civilizations on Earth.

Some people think that without the visit and knowledge of aliens, ancient huge buildings such as

the Mayan civilization 's temple could not be built.

However, there is no evidence for this idea at all.

Although claims that aliens have visited Earth in the past are discredited, the 'panspermia' hypothesis that life forms can travel through space and travel to other celestial bodies is being seriously debated by scientists. I'm here. So far, research teams at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University have announced the theory that ``a life form born in another celestial body somehow flew to Mars.''

As a result of millions of years of evolution, microorganisms such as

archaea and bacteria on the earth are able to feed on sulfur, ammonia, manganese, etc., which are originally toxic to living organisms, and survive in the presence or absence of oxygen. It has evolved to adapt to various environments.

As an example, microorganisms such as

Pyrococcus furiosus and Cyclobacter frigidicola can survive in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents .

Therefore, it is thought that these extreme environment organisms can survive even if they move from the earth to harsh environments such as other planets and moons, and the possibility of expanding their population is considered.

The easiest way for extremophiles on Earth to move to other celestial bodies is to accompany humans in space exploration. In 2007, a microbe called

Tarsinococcus phenisis was discovered during cleaning operations on a NASA spacecraft. From this, it has been pointed out that the earth's microorganisms may have been brought to the moon, Mars, etc. via spacecraft.

In addition, as a method of movement of microorganisms, it is also possible to move to another celestial body by attaching to a meteorite.

When a meteorite hits a planet, rocks and debris are ejected into space, which then become meteorites and rain down on other celestial bodies. So far, 313 Martian meteorites have been discovered on Earth, and conversely, rocks from Earth have been discovered on the Moon. Therefore, in the same way that microorganisms on Earth migrate to other celestial bodies, it is thought that organisms from other celestial bodies may have arrived on Earth and become the origin of life.

Radiation that flies through space is an obstacle to the movement of microorganisms in space. Radiation is a harmful substance to living organisms, but some bacteria, such as

Deinococcus , have strong radiation resistance, and there have been studies that have survived in space for up to six years.

Another problem is that meteor travel takes a very long time. However, in 2020, Japanese researchers

reported that they had succeeded in awakening bacteria that had been dormant for 100 million years on the seafloor.

Certainly, it is difficult for microorganisms to travel alive through space on a meteorite and withstand the impact of colliding with a planet. However, it is possible if it lives in a place like a meteorite crack.

The environment on Mars 3.8 billion years ago, when it had liquid water and an atmosphere, was very similar to the environment on Earth today. increase.

It is thought that the organisms that exist on the earth were not born in the solar system, but may have flown from outside the solar system,

and the James Webb Space Telescope , launched in 2021, will search for traces of life in deep space. I'm here. It is believed that future James Webb Space Telescope discoveries could overturn the established theory of chemical evolution for the origin of life on Earth.