New data, on extremophiles organisms capable of surviving in outer space, complete those previously published in numbers 40, 95 and 101 of Scientific Dissemination blog in Veterinaria Digital.

The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans has recently shown to be able to survive radiation and temperature fluctuations in outer space during an experiment carried out in the Japanese Kibo module of the international Space Station. According to the researchers, D. radiodurans has a great capacity to repair the damage caused by radiation in the DNA chain as a means of survival.

With this new information we can update the list of organisms that have demonstrated their ability to survive in space:

1. Archaea.

1.1 Hadesarchea isolated in South Africa and the United States.

2. Bacteria.

2.1. Streptoccoccus mitis. This bacterium survived for 3 years on a trip to the Moon on Surveyor 3.

2.2. Bacillus subtilis. Tested in the laboratory under conditions similar to outer space.

2.3. Synechococcus. A cyanobacterium tested in the laboratory under conditions similar to space.

2.4. Haloarcula. An halobacteriaceum tested in the laboratory under conditions similar to outer space (Rio Tinto and Yellowstone).

2.5. Deinoccus radiodurnas. Tested on the Japanese Kibo module of the International Space Station.

3. Fungi.

3.1. Aspergillus versicolor. Used in the Biorisk experiment of the International Space Station (ISS).

3.2. Penicillium expansum. Used in the Biorisk experiment of the International Space Station (ISS).

3.3. Cryomyces antarcticus. Used in the LIFE experiment of the International Space Station (ISS).

3.4. Cryomyces minter. Used in the LIFE experiment of the International Space Station (ISS).

4. Algae.

4.1. Chlamyd monas reinhardtii. A green alga tested in the laboratory under conditions similar to outer space.

5. Lichens.

5.1. Rhizocarpon geographicum. Tested in the Phoyon-M2 mission of the European Space Agency.

5.2. Xanthoria elegans. Tested in the Photon-M2 mission of the European Space Agency.

6. Invertebrate protostomes

6.1. Richtersius coronifer. It is a tardigrade object of the Tardis project experiment (FOTON-M3 space probe from Russia and ESA).

6.2. Milnesium tardigradum. It is a tardigrade object of the Tardis project experiment (FOTON-M3 space probe from Russia and ESA).

6.3. Dehydrated tardigrades have been sent to the Moon aboard the Beresheet spacecraft.

At Veterinaria Digital we consider that the results of these experiences are important because they can demonstrate that living organisms have de capacity to diffuse, through space (panspermia), on the surface of comets or included within the ice on their surface. This mechanism could be the one that caused the origin of life on Earth for a period of time known as the great comet bombardment of the planets of the Solar System 4 billion years ago.