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Story summary
- Johns Hopkins University researchers tested the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans under pressures simulating asteroid impacts and found about 60% survived at 2.4 gigapascals, supporting lithopanspermia.
- The results bolster the idea that life on Earth may have originated from microbes carried by space debris.
- Despite the findings, evidence of past life on Mars remains elusive.
- The team plans to test other microorganisms to further understand life's resilience under extreme conditions.
