Microbes might be able to planet hop on asteroid shrapnel: Experiment confirms bacteria could survive being blasted off world by impact.

The article focuses on a laboratory experiment simulating the extreme pressures of an asteroid impact to test the survivability of microbes during planetary ejection. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University subjected the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, known for its resilience to harsh conditions, to pressures up to 3 gigapascals by firing a projectile at bacteria sandwiched between steel plates at nearly 500 kilometers per hour. The study found that a significant portion of these bacteria survived, with survival rates remaining high even at pressures comparable to those in asteroid collisions, supporting the hypothesis of lithopanspermia—the transfer of life between planets via space rocks. Genetic analysis revealed increased activity in DNA repair and cell membrane maintenance genes after impact, suggesting mechanisms that enable survival under such extreme conditions. These findings have implications for understanding the potential spread of life across planetary bodies in the solar system. [Extracted from the article]