Microbial growth at hyperaccelerations up to 403,627 x g.
Deguchi S, Shimoshige H, Tsudome M, Mukai SA, Corkery RW, Ito S, Horikoshi K.
It is well known that prokaryotic life can withstand extremes of temperature, pH, pressure, and radiation. Little is known about the proliferation of prokaryotic life under conditions of hyperacceleration attributable to extreme gravity, however. We found that living organisms can be surprisingly proliferative during hyperacceleration. In tests reported here, a variety of microorganisms, including Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Paracoccus denitrificans, and Shewanella amazonensis; Gram-positive Lactobacillus delbrueckii; and eukaryotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were cultured while being subjected to hyperaccelerative conditions. We observed and quantified robust cellular growth in these cultures across a wide range of hyperacceleration values. Most notably, the organisms P. denitrificans and E. coli were able to proliferate even at 403,627 × g. Analysis shows that the small size of prokaryotic cells is essential for their proliferation under conditions of hyperacceleration. Our results indicate that microorganisms cannot only survive during hyperacceleration but can display such robust proliferative behavior that the habitability of extraterrestrial environments must not be limited by gravity.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 25. [Epub ahead of print]
Deguchi S, Shimoshige H, Tsudome M, Mukai SA, Corkery RW, Ito S, Horikoshi K.
It is well known that prokaryotic life can withstand extremes of temperature, pH, pressure, and radiation. Little is known about the proliferation of prokaryotic life under conditions of hyperacceleration attributable to extreme gravity, however. We found that living organisms can be surprisingly proliferative during hyperacceleration. In tests reported here, a variety of microorganisms, including Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Paracoccus denitrificans, and Shewanella amazonensis; Gram-positive Lactobacillus delbrueckii; and eukaryotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were cultured while being subjected to hyperaccelerative conditions. We observed and quantified robust cellular growth in these cultures across a wide range of hyperacceleration values. Most notably, the organisms P. denitrificans and E. coli were able to proliferate even at 403,627 × g. Analysis shows that the small size of prokaryotic cells is essential for their proliferation under conditions of hyperacceleration. Our results indicate that microorganisms cannot only survive during hyperacceleration but can display such robust proliferative behavior that the habitability of extraterrestrial environments must not be limited by gravity.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 25. [Epub ahead of print]
Why is this cool?
Are we alone in the universe? Is there others out there sharing this thing called life? I am pretty sure bad ass aliens like Squeed roam the universe looking for a place to shoot their whatever guns and drink their madness juices.
Today's paper is not about aliens, it is about bland microbes, but those microbes demonstrate something that we have always known, NOTHING CAN STOP LIFE!! Well, more like nothing can stop bacteria (and yeast) from growing anywhere. Anyway, the researchers took some microbes and spun them around to simulate an increase in gravity. They maxed out at 403,627 times Earth gravity!
To put that into context, if you weighed 100 lbs on Earth, you would weight 2700 lbs on the sun and that is only 28 times Earth gravity. Now, imagine 403,627 times Earth gravity! It would be kind of like being on the surface of a white dwarf!
Since we are on the topic of aliens, What do you think will happen in that movie Super 8? Without a doubt, it is the only movie that looks interesting this summer.
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| From TURF By Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards from Image |
To put that into context, if you weighed 100 lbs on Earth, you would weight 2700 lbs on the sun and that is only 28 times Earth gravity. Now, imagine 403,627 times Earth gravity! It would be kind of like being on the surface of a white dwarf!
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| Enter the White, Hot Room |
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