MessageToEagle.com – Sooner or later we will encounter alien lifeforms. It’s just a matter of time, but has it already happened?
According to an intriguing statement from cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov living bacteria found on the space station might have extraterrestrial origins.
Image credit: NASA
Shkaplerov, who will take his third trip to the ISS in December as part of the Expedition 54 crew, said that scientists found living bacteria while they were taking samples from the surface of the station. Speaking to TASS, he said that the microorganisms might have come from outer space.
Shkaplerov said that some microorganisms from Earth also survived in a vacuum and differences in temperature from -150C to 150C.
How Did Alien Bacteria Get Onboard The ISS?
It is possible these bacteria accidentally entered outer space during the ‘Test’ and ‘Biorisk’ experiments, in which special pads are installed on the ISS hull and left there for several years to determine how the material is affected by the conditions in space.
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More About Extraterrestrial Life
However, it is uncertain whether these microorganisms are really from outer space. During an earlier ‘Test’ experiment in May, scientists discovered traces of bacteria originating on Earth – from Madagascar – and plankton from the Barents Sea.
So, we cannot assume we have encountered alien lifeforms just yet. Scientists will now study the currently unknown microorganisms on Earth to determine if they are indeed of extraterrestrial origin.
Following the discovery, Russian space agency Roscosmos along with other scientists suggested raising the upper border of the biosphere to 400 kilometers from the current altitude of 20 kilometers.
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