"We found that life is more likely to survive an asteroid impact, so it's definitely still a real possibility that life on Earth could have come from Mars. Maybe we're Martians! The idea that life could have spread through the solar system or even the universe on rocks is known as the lithopanspermia hypothesis."
"It's an idea that's more than a century old, but we've discounted it for years because the conditions that the life would have to survive were so extreme. The seeds of life not only need to withstand freezing cold and intense radiation on their journey through space, but also withstand the enormous forces of an asteroid impact."
"Asteroids large enough to eject debris into orbit release energy on the scale of nuclear weapons, and scientists didn't think anything could survive this. Previous studies into whether bacteria might handle these forces have consistently proved inconclusive, casting further doubt on the lithopanspermia hypothesis."
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University discovered that certain hardy bacteria can survive the extreme pressures of asteroid impacts and the harsh conditions of space travel. When asteroids strike planetary surfaces, they eject rocky debris with enough force to reach distant worlds. Microscopic organisms trapped within this debris could potentially travel between planets, a concept known as the lithopanspermia hypothesis. This mechanism could explain how life from Mars might have reached Earth, or how life could spread throughout the solar system. Previous studies dismissed this possibility due to the extreme conditions involved, but new research suggests life is more resilient than previously believed.
Read at Mail Online
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