Monday, August 23, 2010

Space Bugs

This may be the most interesting science news I've seen in a while. Apparently, there are microbes that create oxygen that can survive in space. Read the BBC article here.

Interestingly enough, no one seems to question the prudence of putting something in the vacuum of space for over a year, discovering it can survive, then brining it back to earth. Doesn't it occur to someone that those microbes might be pissed off?

3 comments:

  1. Did you read about the Chernobyl discovery? Some fungus (iirc) has been discovered that uses radiation as sustenance to grow and thrive.

    If ever there was any doubt (as the Bloom County cockroach used to assert) that humans may exterminate themselves but the rest of the planet will be just fine, thank, this one should put that to rest. ("Go ahead and push that little red button. I'm 657% more resistant to radiation than you!")

    Cheers,
    Dave L.

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  2. http://www.angelfire.com/vamp/shoopshoop/cockroach.html

    I can't believe I got the % right; I thought I was making it up. Nice to know the longterm memory cells, if no others, are still functioning. --djl

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