Re: SPACE: Lunar Ben&Jerrys?

Enigl@aol.com
Wed, 1 Jan 1997 16:36:17 -0500

In a message dated 96-12-31 20:23:13 EST, you write:

<<
Meteorites may have carried life from Mars to Earth. The reverse is less
likely (uphill vs. downhill) but possible.

Would it be possible for the Moon to harbor meteorites holding freeze-dried
versions of extinct life from Earth? Would it have to be buried immediately
to prevent cosmic radiation from scrambling it?

Maybe when they do a remake of "Jurassic Park", this is where they will get
their "dino-DNA"? >>


Exactly my thinking. Also, we DID go to the Moon. So, we probably already
contaminated it. And despite the Mars (and other) probes being "sterilized"
before they left the Earth. I can't see how we could not have "planted" at
least some bacteria on Mars, the Moon, in space, etc.

_Bacillus_ (in soils is usually "good" and "bad" kinds like
_Bacillus_anthracis_ cause Anthrax) and _Clostridium_ (can be "good" and
"bad" kinds like _Clostridium_tetani_ ---Tetanus and _Clostridium_botulinum_
--- Botulism) are the two most resistant genera of bacteria on Earth
discovered (so far). They both have very hardy spores that resist many kinds
of hostile environments.

So, the question remains, where can these spores survive outside the Earth,
for how long and under what conditions? I guess I just entered the field of
Exomicrobiology.

Davin

Davin C. Enigl, MS-MEAS
President-Microbiologist

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Validations
for the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industry

HACCP Validations (sm)
enigl@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/enigl/index.html

January 1, 1997
1:07 pm