Could life have been transferred from Mars to Earth? Laboratory and computational simulations of Martian ejecta

TL;DR

This study combines biological experiments and astrophysical simulations to evaluate the plausibility of life transfer from Mars to Earth via ejecta, suggesting it could occur within a year under certain conditions.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence on bacterial survivability under simulated space conditions and detailed simulations of ejecta trajectories, supporting the feasibility of panspermia from Mars to Earth.

Findings

Endospores can survive extended UVC irradiation under simulated space conditions.

Martian ejecta can reach Earth in a few years, especially when ejected at perihelion.

Interplanetary transfer of viable biological material from Mars to Earth is plausible.

Abstract

The study of the origin of life on Earth has been broadened due to panspermia models that suggest that early life may have been transferred between planets. Mars likely once had conditions that could support life, and it is interesting therefore to consider the question of early interplanetary transfer of life from Mars to the Earth. Endospore forming bacteria are ideal candidates for these studies as they can withstand harsh environmental conditions. For this reason, the idea that early life could have been delivered to Earth on Martian ejecta in the late Hadean period has gained considerable interest. To assess this, we have performed a series of both biological and astrophysical experiments. We exposed endospores shielded by a lysed colony of bacteria to extended UVC irradiation under a variety of rotation regimes, to simulate interplanetary exposure on ejecta with a variety of rotation periods. We also performed detailed n-body simulations of particles ejected from Mars at both perihelion and aphelion, finding that Martian ejecta can reach the Earth on timescales of just a few years - suggesting that, with ejection at the ideal time, transfer could occur within one year. Taken together, this study suggests this interplanetary transfer of biologically viable material from Mars to Earth is plausible under favourable conditions.