Инопланетяне рядом с нами! Column in КомпьютерреOnline #30
If Lewis and his colleagues are correct, 50 tons of extraterrestrial organisms arrived on Earth ten years ago. What are the consequences for the Earth's biosphere? Virtually none.
Particles extracted from Kerala rainwater collected in open areas are regarded as living organisms;
The studied particles (the authors use the term "cells") contain no DNA but do contain proteins;
They are capable of growing and reproducing in diverse media, from water to transformer oil, with optimal conditions being high temperature and elevated pressure;
Rain particles grow readily in the presence of a wide range of substances (e.g., the strong oxidizer potassium permanganate) but cannot grow in the presence of table salt;
Optimal reproduction of the particles occurred when they were cultured in water with an admixture of cedar oil at 300°C and corresponding pressure;
The upper temperature limit of the particles could not be determined due to technical limitations in maintaining liquid water at high pressure; at minimum, it is clear that 380°C is not excessive for these particles;
A complex life cycle of the particles has been described; two variants of the reproductive cycle and one type of sporulation cycle are postulated;
During particle reproduction, new particles arise not via division of parent particles, but within them!