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Space Bugs, Yech!

Started by Recusant, November 29, 2017, 04:46:11 AM

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Recusant

This topic missed getting into the "Pseudo-science, Conspiracy Theories, and Other Loads of Bull" board by the thinnest of margins.  :lol:

"Cosmonaut says space station bacteria 'come from outer space'" | CNET

QuoteA Russian cosmonaut claims to have caught aliens. Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov says he found bacteria clinging to the external surface of the International Space Station that didn't come from the surface of Earth.

Shkaplerov told the Russian news agency Tass that cosmonauts collected the bacteria by swabbing the outside of the space station during space walks years ago. 

"And now it turns out that somehow these swabs reveal bacteria that were absent during the launch of the ISS module," Shkaplerov told Tass. "That is, they have come from outer space and settled along the external surface. They are being studied so far and it seems that they pose no danger."

[. . .]

It seems unlikely that anyone could completely rule out that the bacteria have Earthly origins. We know that bacteria and other life forms like tardigrades can live in extreme conditions like those in space, so it's possible that undiscovered microbes living in Earth's upper atmosphere were picked by the space station over the years.

In fact, a recent study purports that high-speed flows of "space dust" could actually launch just such microbes on journeys from Earth to other worlds. Perhaps some bacteria decided to skip that long trip and just took up residence on the space station instead. After all, a visit to the ISS is known to be productive for other lower life forms, like this worm that grew an extra head after its visit.

[Link to full story]
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