Discovery of New Microorganisms in the Stratosphere

Three new species of bacteria, which are not found on Earth and which are highly resistant to ultra-violet radiation, have been discovered in the upper stratosphere by Indian scientists. One of the new species has been named as Janibacter hoylei, after the Distinguished Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, the second as Bacillus isronensis recognising the contribution of ISRO in the balloon experiments which led to its discovery and the third as Bacillus aryabhata after India’s celebrated ancient astronomer Aryabhata and also the first satellite of ISRO.

www.isro.org...

>>FIRST THREAD HERE - BE GENTLE

reply to post by Jubjub


Nice find Jub-Jub !

A lot of new science coming out of India .

I`ll be keeping an eye out for Janibacter Sun Cream .

reply to post by UmbraSumus


Heh heh. That is exactly what I thought when I read about their resistance to U.V. rays.

I also remembered Carl Sagan saying that if extraterrestrial life did exist, it would not exist in the way that we have imagined it, but more like some blob that floats in the atmosphere of a gaseous giant and eats radiation. It is funny how he was trying to be far out in his explanation of extraterrestrial life, and the similarities (though I am sure he did imagine his creature being bigger) with this discovery.

It just goes to show you how truth can be stranger than fiction. Good find. Star for you, bub.

Good job jub! Star and a Flag for you! If the ozone layer ever fails at least we will have bacto cream!

Bacteria might be of extraterrestrial origin!!! So basically a bug hitched a ride on a rock hit the early earth and poof here we are. Interesting... That's a good theory and much better than the something out of nothing theory we had before. It's plausible since to some bacteria oxygen is poisonous others can survive in welding torch temperatures, some can survive in pools of sulfur and scalding hot water. Its plausible to think a form of those little resilient buggers could survive in the vastness of space. If so then wherever they land they adapt and survive right? So there could literally be life everywhere!!! Interesting read gave me some food for thought.

[edit on 17-3-2009 by DaMod]

Can they survive in a vacuum? How far up are they?

Can they survive on a rover sent to Mars (or any other planet we put a rover/satelite into its stratosphere) and then slough off into the Martian atmosphere?

A lot of questions come to mind. I hope they study the heck out of these things! Might give us a hint to the origins of life and plus if we can figure out whether they are ET or not we could test their DNA and see if we are related. See if they survive in a Vacuum. We could find out what temperature ranges these things can survive. Plus if this is the case life would be a ton more abundant in the universe than we previously thought. Our view of conditions required to support life would change significantly!! Might turn out to be one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind.

Edit for bad spelling.

[edit on 17-3-2009 by DaMod]

As i said earlier today about the same thing.
And i quote
"Also i wonder if this could help in explaining the red rainfall that occured in India a while back. Just a thought but it could of been why they where up there looking in the first place. "

Interesting JubJub, have you found any other information in regards to the new Microorganisms? I did a quick search, seems to be some interesting "stuff" out and about eh?

Along the same lines a 2005 article

The National Science Foundation has awarded a University of Colorado at Boulder research group $1.75 million to identify and analyze a potpourri of microbes new to science that are residing in the harsh, cold climate of Colorado's high mountains.

and then this other one, which I cannot find out how "respectable" it might be, but I thought it was an interesting read.

The latest chemical and biological research suggests that extraterrestrial life may exist all around us or even inside human bodies.

Peace

This is very interesting. I have a theory that suggests that there are aerogel-like organisms that live in our upper atmosphere. They could account for UFO's and ancient writings of flying beasts. If they're as light as air, they may dissolve once they die.

I don't believe we have the ability to explore our upper atmosphere very easily, so I could imagine this to be quite possible. We don't even have the capacity to explore our deepest of oceans!

Posted here at the thread below a few days ago, amongst other places

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Shere Khaan


Yeah, but this thread was created about 5 hours prior to the one in your link

another valuable to add to the drake equation. life really must be everywhere.

this is probably how those people during the time of columbus and magellan have felt when they discovered other cultures from other parts of the planet.

I think life is common throughout the universe.

We have tried to put life in the universe in a box that started on earth 4.5 billion years ago but that box is about to bust open.

I was just reading about Plasma Crystals.

The universe is filled with massive clouds of dust. From past studies, scientists have learned that this cosmic dust can, in the presence of plasma, creates formations known as plasma crystals. An international team of researchers published a study in the Aug.14, 2007, issue of the New Journal of Physics that indicates that these crystals may be more sophisticated than anyone realized. In simulations involving cosmic dust, the researchers witnessed the formation of plasma crystals displaying some of the elementary characteristics of life -- DNA-like structure, autonomous behavior, reproduction and evolution.

science.howstuffworks.com...

Liquid water on Mars, billions of earth like planets in the solar system, could have found extra-terrestrial organisms in the atmosphere. Things are getting interesting.

reply to post by platosallegory


That plasma crystal article was amazing, thanks for sharing, I'd never read it before. Plus it adds another piece to my jig saw that I've been throwing around for a while.

Concerning the OP, it's a great find and thanks also for bringing it to my attention, one constant I have noticed is that life finds a way, no matter what. if anyone needs any evidence of this, the fungus growing in the main reactor of Chernobyl pretty much solidified this for me.

And yet we still look to Earth like planets for life and disregard possibility of life on planets different to Earth, I don't get it.

EMM

reply to post by daeoeste


Excatly home! Which is why i think Carl Sagan knew alot more than he was allowed to comment on. Remember that old youtube footage of when, i think it was discovery, released that tether and had all of those "blobs" appear around it? Connection? Coincidental that bacteria is able to survive in the upper stratosphere being bombarded by "DNA damaging" UV rays?

Not only is life common, i think it's expected. Our world is soaked with life, i mean super duper saturated! What makes us believe that life cannot exist in outer space especially with the discovery of extremeophiles.

Jeez, i'm starting to believe that science in the west is being dictated rather than learned and explored.