Thread: Panspermia
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Old 20-October-2009, 10:59 PM
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A.DIM A.DIM is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by transreality View Post
The latter I think.
Well then, shame on science writers for pandering ...

Quote:
Along with things like UFO's or Pyramids on Mars, or Nemesis 2012, but not so obvious to the non-specialist reader.

The article does make the effort to scotch interstellar panspermia, but it is also possible panspermia remains a convenient idea to planetary exploration advocates.

"For a start, there's pretty good evidence that at least some kinds of bacteria and archaea – and perhaps simple eukaryotes too, a protist for example – could survive a journey between Mars and Earth, inside a rock blasted off by a meteorite impact."

So where is this 'pretty good' evidence? Actually there is no positive evidence for this. There may be better evidence that prolonged exposure to a space environment is a good way to sterilise stuff.
Ever heard of "Conan the Bacterium?"
Deinococcus Radiodurans is quite the resilient extremophile, and a good candidate for space travel.
Tardigrades, or "water bears," too, appear to be capable of surviving space travel.
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