Biological Entities Isolated from the Stratosphere

Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2020

Advances in Astrophysics, 2020

Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology IV, 2002

International Journal of Astrobiology, 2006

A number of studies have demonstrated that bacteria and fungi are present in the stratosphere. Since the tropopause is generally regarded as a barrier to the upward movement of particles it is difficult to see how such microorganisms can reach heights above 17 km. Volcanoes provide an obvious means by which this could be achieved, but these occur infrequently and any microorganisms entering the stratosphere from this source will rapidly fall out of the stratosphere. Here, we suggest mechanisms by which microorganisms might reach the stratosphere on a more regular basis; such mechanisms are, however, likely only to explain how micrometre to submicrometre particles could be elevated into the stratosphere. Intriguingly, clumps of bacteria of size in excess of 10 μm have been found in stratospheric samples. It is difficult to understand how such clumps could be ejected from the Earth to this height, suggesting that such bacterial masses may be incoming to Earth. We suggest that the stra...

Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology, 1998

Aerobiologia, 2004

Frontiers in microbiology, 2018

Airborne microorganisms in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere remain elusive due to a lack of reliable sample collection systems. To address this problem, we designed, installed, and flight-validated a novel Aircraft Bioaerosol Collector (ABC) for NASA's C-20A that can make collections for microbiological research investigations up to altitudes of 13.7 km. Herein we report results from the first set of science flights-four consecutive missions flown over the United States (US) from 30 October to 2 November, 2017. To ascertain how the concentration of airborne bacteria changed across the tropopause, we collected air during aircraft / (0.3 to 11 km), as well as sustained altitudes in the lower stratosphere (~12 km). Bioaerosols were captured on DNA-treated gelatinous filters inside a cascade air sampler, then analyzed with molecular and culture-based characterization. Several viable bacterial isolates were recovered from flight altitudes, including sp., sp., sp., and sp....

International Journal of Astrobiology, 2010

Recent studies confirm that bacteria exist in the stratosphere. It is generally assumed that these bacteria are exiting from Earth, although it is possible that some are incoming from space. Most stratospheric bacterial isolates belong to the spore-forming genus Bacillus, although non-spore formers have also been isolated. Theoretically, the smaller a bacterium is, the more likely it is to be carried from Earth to the stratosphere. Ultrasmall bacteria have been frequently isolated from Earth environments, but not yet from the stratosphere. This is an anomalous situation, since we would expect such small bacteria to be over represented in the stratosphere-microflora. Here, we show that ultrasmall bacteria are present in the environment on Earth (i.e. in seawater and rainwater) and discuss the paradox of why they have not been isolated from the stratosphere.

1998

Air samples are to be collected at various altitude sin the stratosphere using balloons flown form Hyderabad, India. The samples will be passed through sterile micropore filters, after which the filters will be analyzed using voltage sensitive lipophilic dyes to detect the presence of either active or non-active cells. Organisms detected in this manner will be studied using static mass

Science Fantasy: Critical Explorations in Fiction and Film, 2024

In the initial chapter, Cenk Tan scrutinizes Arthur C. Clarke’s “Childhood’s End” as a work of science fantasy, employing the critical framework of (hard) determinism, free will, and predestination. Tan argues that, positioned as an advocate of determinism, “Childhood’s End” presents a compelling argument against the existence of free will. According to Clarke’s narrative, humans lack the capacity for true free will, and the ability to make choices does not necessarily affirm the existence of free will. This perspective implies that individuals are unable to break free from a destructive cycle, conveying a pessimistic message that suggests people are destined to be perpetually reliant on determinism.