Could Microbial Life Survive in the Harsh Conditions of Space?

[Yemmy]

They don't breathe.
Their internal pressure greater than space.
Radiation.
Temperature.
Micrometeorites.
No picnic?
Any recommended reading?
Thanks.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Do you have a concrete question here?

 

[Yemmy]

Thank you, sorry,
My question is;
in the current stew of real and imagined scientific knowledge that informs science fiction, what is the general opinion about creatures existing in space without breathing and exposed to extreme temperatures, radiation, and vacuum?

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Did you know that the Apollo 12 astronauts brought live samples of bacteria back from the Moon? They accidentally hitched a ride on Surveyor 3 a few years before and it had been living up there completely exposed to space. While it's possible that the contamination happened after the fact (during of after the trip back with Apollo,) ISS has also preformed experiments with living bacteria exposed to space and they seem to do fine.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Dried Tardigrades have been exposed to conditions on the surface of Mars (so-called Mars Jars) and survived for months to be revived by water in the lab. Lichens have also survived Mars Jars. None of these organisms did any"growing" during their stay - no respiration -- a Biological concept that does not mean 'breathing air' -- was measured.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_respiration

A cautionary point: no new life could evolve on the surface of Mars. In other words, if astronauts find bacteria it is likely the astronauts or some preceding man-made object brought them as hitchhikers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Here's a nice review article discussing the conditions under which microbial life from Earth can survive, and the possibilities for life in space and on other planets:
Moissl-Eichinger et al. 2016 Venturing into new realms? Microorganisms in space. FEMS Microbiol Rev 40: 722. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuw015