Confirmation of Microbial Ingress from Space

Abstract

The discovery by Russian researchers (Grebennikova et al., 2018) of microorganisms on the exterior surface of the International Space Station (ISS) on several occasions between 2013 and 2017 may be interpreted as evidence supporting the Hoyle-Wickramasinghe theory of cometary panspermia. The homologies between the ISS-recovered genotypes and known terrestrial bacteria can be seen as evidence of co-evolution and gene transfers (HGT) within a biosphere that spans astronomical distances. On the one hand, the height of the ISS orbit at 400km can be argued as being too high for lofting surface microorganisms. However, there is a theory that purports to explain the possible transport of small particles from the troposphere into the lower stratosphere and ionosphere as a result of vortex motions as well as vertical flows (streamers), which are generated as a result of the development of the modulational instability in the ionospheric plasma. More research is needed to properly evaluate this proposal.