A team of Russian scientists aboard the International Space Station (ISS) say they made a “unique” discovery while analyzing samples from the exterior of the International Space Station – traces of living plankton, tiny sea creatures on the station’s windows and walls. They made the discovery of extra-terrestrial life during a routine cleaning polishing mission of the outside surface of the ISS, reported by RT, Yahoo and other news agencies.
Incredibly, the tiny organisms were found to be able to survive in the vacuum of space, in zero gravity, extreme temperatures, while being belted by cosmic radiation and despite a lack of oxygen.
Itar-Tass news agency quoted the chief of the Russian ISS orbital mission Vladimir Solovyev; “Plankton in such phases of development is found on the surface of the oceans. It isn’t characteristic to Baikonur,” referring to Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan from where crew and cargo deliveries to ISS are launched and so far it is still unclear how the plankton could get all the way to the ISS.
Last year another amazing discovery was made by scientists from the University of Sheffield.
The microbugs (image left) were found on a research balloon they had sent 27km (16.7 miles) into the atmosphere. (Video).
Professor Milton Wainwright said: "If life does continue to arrive from space then we have to completely change our view of biology and evolution," he added. "New textbooks will have to be written!"
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