Space & Astronomy

DNA survives trip in to space on a rocket

By T.K. Randall
November 29, 2014

Image: DNA Methylation
Credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Panspermia, the theory that life is being continually distributed throughout the cosmos on meteorites and comets, received an unexpected boost this week after an experiment revealed that it is possible for DNA to survive a trip in to space and back.

Scientists at the University of Zurich in Switzerland created a special liquid solution containing small loops of DNA known as plasmids and painted it on to the outside of a rocket which then traveled 270 kilometers above the surface of the Earth.Despite having endured temperatures of up to 1000 degrees during re-entry, much of the DNA appeared to have survived unscathed, in particular within the grooves of the rocket's screw heads.

Further studies indicated that the surviving DNA was also fully functional.

The discovery significantly increases the chances of finding life elsewhere in the universe but may make it more difficult to explore other worlds without unintentionally contaminating them.

Source: New Scientist

Tags: DNA, Space