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Can spores survive in interstellar space?

Nature volume 316, pages 403–407 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

Inactivation of spores (Bacillus subtilis) has been investigated for the first time in the laboratory by vacuum ultraviolet radiation in simulated interstellar conditions. Remarkably, damage produced at the normal interstellar particle temperature of 10 K is less than at higher temperatures, the major damage being produced by radiation in the 2,000–3,000 Å range. Our results place constraints on the panspermia hypothesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Astrophysics, University of Leiden, 2313 AV, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Peter Weber & J. Mayo Greenberg

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  1. Peter Weber
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  2. J. Mayo Greenberg
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Weber, P., Greenberg, J. Can spores survive in interstellar space?. Nature 316, 403–407 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/316403a0

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