A study led by Dr Akihiko Yamagishi, chief investigator of Japan Experimental Module on the International Space Station, has suggested that microscopic aliens can easily survive the treacherous journey across the universe. According to the study, microscopic extraterrestrials might be capable of bunching into a group while screeching across the darkness of the universe, in a similar manner depicted in the Hollywood movie ET: The Extraterrestrial.
Substantiating the Panspermia Theory
The new study report backs up the panspermia theory, a hypothesis that suggests the existence of life throughout the universe. According to this hypothesis, life is distributed across space by asteroids, space dust, comets, and planetoids. If this hypothesis is true, then aliens, if real, might have already reached the earth.
The study reveals that these microscopic aliens often overcome the harsh environment of space by grouping in colonies, which might be thinner than even a piece of paper.
"The origin of life on Earth is the biggest mystery of human beings. Scientists can have totally different points of view on the matter. Some think life is very rare and happened only once in the universe, while others think life can happen on every suitable planet. If panspermia is possible, life must exist much more often than we thought," said Yamagishi, in a recent statement.
The Mysterious Deinococcus
Scientists based their theory on an experiment that discovered Deinococcus bacteria outside the International Space Station (ISS). After analyzing survival data at one, two, and three years of exposure, researchers noted that a pellet thicker than 0.5 mm would have survived between 15 and 45 years on the ISS.
"The results suggest that radioresistant Deinococcus could survive during the travel from Earth to Mars and vice versa, which is several months or years in the shortest orbit," added Yamagishi.
A few months back, Dr Jim Green, a chief NASA scientist had previously suggested that alien life, at least in its microbial form will be discovered on Mars within 2021. The researcher also made it clear that humanity is not prepared enough to accept realities surrounding alien existence.
