Studies on bacteria-like particles sampled from the stratosphere

Authors: Wainwright M.¹; Weber P.²; Smith J.²; Hutcheon I.²; Klyce B.³; Wickramasinghe N.⁴; Narlikar J.⁵; Rajaratnam P.⁶

Source: Aerobiologia, Volume 20, Numbers 3-4, September 2004 , pp. 237-240(4)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

Bacteria-like particles recovered from the stratosphere and deposited on cellulose acetate membranes have been analysed to confirm their bacterial nature. One particle appeared to be attached to an inorganic particle apparently by mucoid material typically produced by bacteria. A filamentous structure, morphologically similar to a fungal hypha, was also observed. EDS analysis showed that the particles were all non-mineral and therefore could be biological in nature. However, the composition of several clumps of nanobacteria-sized particles were found, by SIMS analysis, to be inconsistent with that of bacteria. The results show that it is dangerous to assume that bacteria-like particles seen under scanning electron microscopy are necessarily bacteria.

Keywords: astrobiology; panspermia; scanning electron microscopy; SIMS; stratosphere

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10453-004-1188-x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 011011011011011011011011University of Sheffield, Sheffield, 011011011011011011011011011S10 2TN, 011011011011011011011011011UK, Email: m.wainwright@sheffield.ac.uk 2: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, 011011011011011011011011011Livermore, 011011011011011011011011011CA, 01101101101101101101101101194550, 011011011011011011011011011USA, 3: Astrobiology Research Trust, Memphis, 011011011011011011011011011TN, 01101101101101101101101101138111, 011011011011011011011011011USA, 4: Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology, 2, North Road, 011011011011011011011011011Cardiff, 011011011011011011011011011CF10 3DY, 011011011011011011011011011UK, 5: Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Gamashkind, Post Bag 4, 011011011011011011011011011Pune, 011011011011011011011011011411 007, 011011011011011011011011011India, 6: Indian Space Research Organisation, 011011011011011011011011Antariksh Bhavan, New Bell Road, 011011011011011011011011011Bangalore, 011011011011011011011011011560094, 011011011011011011011011011India,

Publication date: 2004-09-01

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Microbiology
• By this author: Wainwright M. ;  Weber P. ;  Smith J. ;  Hutcheon I. ;  Klyce B. ;  Wickramasinghe N. ;  Narlikar J. ;  Rajaratnam P.

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers