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Aliens: Study on panspermia theory suggests life on Earth may originate from another planet

Wiki Images / Pixabay

Many scientists have long believed that we are not the only life forms that exist in the universe, and have since been on the search for life outside the planet. But a popular theory that was studied, referring to the origins of life in the universe, seems to suggest that life on Earth has also originated from an alien planet.

A popular theory among scientists regarding life in the universe is the panspermia theory, referring to microorganisms being capable of surviving even the seemingly impossible conditions between planets. A recent study touches on the theory, proving that certain bacteria are able to survive space, with cold temperatures and high radiation. The findings could be able to shed more light on the origins of life on Earth.

The study was conducted by Professor Akihiko Yamagishi from the University of Tokyo in cooperation with the Japanese space agency JAXA, making use of Deinococcus bacteria to test out the theory. The bacteria was placed on panels outside the International Space Station or ISS over a span of three years. The results of the study found that layers of the bacteria that measure above 0.5 millimeters were able to survive in space for a number of years.

“The results suggest the radioresistant Deinococcus could survive during travel from Earth to Mars and vice versa, which is several months or years in the shortest orbit,” said the professor, who noted that this study could be able to provide more insight regarding life on Earth. “If panspermia is possible, life must exist much more often than we previously thought.”

Meanwhile, a scientist working with NASA claims that despite the agency’s guidelines against contaminating other cosmic surfaces, its ongoing search for alien life may put planets like Mars at risk for contamination.

Speaking to Express, Professor Mark Schneegurt from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shared the lengths that NASA goes through to make sure there is no contamination or microbes left behind. However, he says that there must be a balance of the cleaning costs as well as the success of the space missions, saying that no matter how much cleaning and testing is done, there will always be some microbes that will remain.

Professor Schneegurt shared that NASA’s current work can be linked to determining the limits of life, and when these limits are determined, then NASA will calculate how humanity can also pose a threat to contaminating other planets.

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