'Super bacteria' survive for three years outside space station

Scientists who attached a strain of bacteria to the outside of the International Space Station have been stunned to find it survived for three years, in open space.



The experiment, led by a team of Japanese researchers, involved the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans, also known as Conan the Bacterium due to its extreme hardiness.

Experts say the study could help shape our understanding of whether life might exist on other planets.

Video produced by Trystan Young and Jasmin Souesi.


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Extremophiles have adapted to live in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. This includes hypersaline lakes, arid regions, deep sea, acidic sites, cold and dry polar regions and permafrost.

The existence of extremophiles has led to the speculation that microorganisms could survive the harsh conditions of extraterrestrial environments and be used as model organisms to understand the fate of biological systems in these environments.

The focus of many experiments has been to investigate the possible survival of organisms inside rocks (lithopanspermia), or their survival on Mars for understanding the likelihood of past or present life on that planet.

Because of their ubiquity and resistance to spacecraft decontamination, bacterial spores are considered likely potential forward contaminants on robotic missions to Mars. Measuring the resistance of such organisms to space conditions can be applied to develop adequate decontamination procedures.

Research and testing of microorganisms in outer space could eventually be applied for directed panspermia or terraforming.

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