By Matt Franklin
Two recent related articles reported by Space.com (“Creature Survives Naked in Space,” Sept. 8 and “Eight-Legged Space Survivor Gives ‘Panspermia’ New Life,” Sept. 16), follow an experiment in which
scientists booted a handful of microorganisms into space to see what would happen. Later, while
studying the unlucky creatures known as tardigrades, researchers announced their findings may study
support the theory of Panspermia. Stop laughing.
The theory, which attempts to address the age old catechism, “Where do we come from? Where are we going? What’s it all about, Alphie?” essentially states that life may begin on one planet, but may successfully thrive after being naturally transplanted to another. One must emphasize “naturally,” as the idea that life is capable of willfully relocating across space would is absurd. Kindly ignore for the moment that researchers include this on their list of eventual goals.
The key behind the excitement lies primarily in the ability of a tardigrade to enter into a state of metabolic dormancy when its habitat becomes unlivable or, as is the case here, some scientist randomly chucks it out an airlock. The natural habitat of a tardigrade is wet moss, and tardigrades have been observed on Earth revivifying after periods of extreme dehydration by, in effect, adding water.
In itself, this is not news. Brine shrimp have long attempted world conquest by entering dehydration
stasis for shipment across the world into the schools and homes of unsuspecting children under the catchy and marketable name of “Sea Monkeys,” not that any of mine ever seemed to survive the trip. What makes tardigrades one-up Brine Shrimp (probably against their will), so far as the reported studies are concerned, is their ability to shrug off the vast amounts of raw, unfiltered solar and cosmic radiations filling the emptiness of space.
This is not to suggest that tardigrades are immortal or that all of them survived the tests. No. Many
tardigrades died to bring us this information. Of those that survived, however, some seem to be completely unaffected on the genetic level by the radiation, which is well known to cause genetic anomalies (cancer, etc.) in many organisms. The indifference to radiation has manifest as healthy offspring of tardigrades scientists continued to study upon their return to Earth, as if being vented into space wasn’t obtrusive enough.
One possible explanation is that the tardigrades, in fact, did sustain genetic damage but have mysteriously managed to repair it. Researchers are hopeful that further study may lead to significant advances in genetic and radiation therapy — blah blah blah, animals traveling through space!
Now that we’re back on the subject of Panspermia (I said stop laughing), there are still several problems facing the theory, let alone any plans for future implementation. Personally, I suspect finding a
volunteer has been tricky, but what do I know? While scientists believe rocks jettisoned from one planet to another may remain within temperate limitations to sustain transplantable life in stasis, they do add the caveat (not a made up word) that transplanted organisms would likely require some form of
radiation exposure during the extended trip (the tardigrades were left out in the overheated coldness
of space for only ten days).
Other complications involve the differences in atmospheric conditions from one planet to another. Theorists, or at least conspiracy theorists, have long entertained the notion that the flourishing life forms
of Earth today may have originated on Mars. This is, of course one of the most prominent examples of Panspermia (you’re still laughing, aren’t you?) in action (stop it).
Unfortunately, if one takes a moment to stop and smell the roses on Mars, one would find:the mean air density is a fractional percentage of Earth’s, and most of that is carbon dioxide. There are no roses on Mars, and you’d be dead, or at least unconscious, before you read this far.
Coupling the atmosphere with the lack of direct, confirmed evidence to-date of Martian biology raises doubt that Mars either had a hand in kick-starting Earth based life or could sustain it the other way around. Even farther from some scientists’ minds is the idea of Panspermia (I give up) across solar systems or galaxies. Even so, as of this writing, NASA has not explicitly denied the possibility of installing a customs office on Mars to screen for foreign produce.
