Resilient bacterium survives simulated asteroid impact pressures proving interplanetary travel is biologically possible

Researchers prove Deinococcus radiodurans can survive 3 GPa of pressure, suggesting life could survive being blasted off Mars by asteroid impacts.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 4, 2026, 9:11 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from PNAS Nexus

Testing the limits of interplanetary panspermia

A study published in PNAS Nexus has provided significant evidence for the theory that life can survive the violent transition between planetary bodies. Researchers Lily Zhao and K. T. Ramesh conducted experiments to determine if biological organisms could withstand the extreme pressures generated when a massive asteroid strikes a planet like Mars, hurling debris into space. Using the famously resilient bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, the team simulated the mechanical shock of a planetary ejection to see if the "launch" phase of interplanetary travel would be lethal to microbial life. The results confirm that the forces required to escape a planet's gravity are not necessarily a barrier to the survival of hardy microorganisms.

Simulating the crushing force of a 3 GPa impact

To mimic the conditions of an asteroid strike, the scientists placed samples of the bacteria between two steel plates, creating a "steel sandwich" that was then struck by a third plate at high velocity. This method subjected the microbes to pressures reaching 3 GPa, which is approximately 30,000 times the pressure of Earth's atmosphere. While previous research has documented the ability of Deinococcus radiodurans to survive intense radiation and total desiccation, this study is among the first to test its structural integrity against the sheer mechanical stress of a high-energy impact event.

High survival rates and cellular resilience

Despite the overwhelming forces applied during the simulation, the researchers recorded a survival rate of 60 percent among the microbes. Analysis of the samples exposed to 2.4 GPa revealed that while some cell membranes began to rupture, the unique architecture of the bacterium’s cell envelope provided critical protection. This specialized structural defense allowed a significant portion of the population to remain viable even after enduring conditions that would be instantly fatal to most other forms of life. The findings suggest that the physical limitations of microbial survival are much broader than previously estimated by the scientific community.