Accelerated biological evolution in outer space: Insights from numerical analysis

Abstract

As humanity continues its space exploration, understanding biological evolution in extraterrestrial environments will become crucial. On Earth, organisms have adapted to new environments, and some genetic data indicate positive natural selection. This paper investigates the impact of space environments, such as high radiation and microgravity, which may lead to high mutation rates and positive selection, on biological evolution, using numerical analysis. It quantifies the evolutionary rates and the time until a new mutation reaches fixation (100 % frequency within population) beyond Earth. The findings reveal accelerated evolution rates, 1,000 to 10,000 times faster than on Earth for beneficial mutations, with the time until fixation being 0.002 to 0.004 times shorter, assuming mutation rates are 10–100 times higher. These results offer insights into various areas, including space facility design, space agriculture, astrobiological exploration, and life sustainability beyond Earth and Solar System, illuminating the potential for a ‘Big Bang of Evolution’ in outer space.