Scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences have experimentally proved that microorganisms can survive in the atmosphere of Venus, on the surface of Mars and in the ice of Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, the institute said in its annual report for 2019
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2020) Scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian academy of Sciences have experimentally proved that microorganisms can survive in the atmosphere of Venus, on the surface of Mars and in the ice of Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, the institute said in its annual report for 2019.
"Microorganisms associated with mineral particles may be present in the atmosphere of Venus, where the upper layers are exposed to cosmic rays and temperature jumps," the report said.
To check this hypothesis, the scientists conducted laboratory tests to study the effect of radiation on micromycetes, or microscopic fungi, living in dry soil at a low temperature and pressure. The tests showed that the effect of high doses of ionizing radiation does not lead to the death of soil fungi. Most resistant species survive.
In addition, the Russian scientists studied the survival of microorganisms taken in the Arctic under simulated conditions of the surface of Mars, exposing them to radiation at the temperature of minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit).
"The tests revealed that this effect had not led to significant damage to the bacterial complex," the report said.
The scientists also studied the possibility of preserving the life of hypothetical microorganisms in the ice of Europa if they exit from the sub-glacial ocean. They tested the irradiation of bacteria embedded in the ice at a temperature of minus 130 degrees Celsius and the required pressure. According to the study's results, scientists have discovered viable bacteria.
