Overview
- Johns Hopkins scientists reported in PNAS Nexus that Deinococcus radiodurans endured brief pressure pulses up to 2.4 GPa in gas‑gun experiments, with about 95% survival at 1.4 GPa and roughly 60% at 2.4 GPa.
- The simulated pressures align with conditions expected in material blasted off a planet during an impact rather than peak pressures at the impact site, which on Mars can reach around 5 GPa.
- The findings provide direct experimental support for the ejection phase of lithopanspermia, indicating that some microbes could be lofted into space within impact-shocked rocks.
- Crucial steps remain untested, including whether microbes can survive multi‑year interplanetary travel, sustained cosmic radiation, and descent through a planet’s atmosphere.
- Independent astrobiologists consider Mars‑to‑Earth transfer plausible, and the study’s authors say the results warrant reassessing planetary‑protection protocols and expanding tests to additional organisms.