Abstract
There are a variety of theories relating to the origins of life on our home planet, some of which discuss the possibility that life may have been spread via inter-planetary bodies. There have been a number of investigations into the ability of life to withstand the likely conditions generated by asteroid impact (both contained in the impactor and buried beneath the planet surface). Previously published data regarding the ability of bacteria to survive such applied shockwaves has produced conflicting conclusions. The work presented here used an established and published technique in combination with a single stage gas gun, to shock and subsequently recover Escherichia coli populations suspended in a phosphate buffered saline solution. Peak pressure across the sample region was calculated via numerical modelling. Survival data against peak sample pressure for recovered samples is presented alongside control tests. SEM micrographs of shocked samples are presented alongside control sets to highlight key differences between cells in each case.
Highlights
The extent to which simple life such as bacteria has the ability to survive high pressure conditions in a dynamic environment has relevance to a variety of fields including mass-extinction events, panspermia and shock-sterilisation
This paper has investigated the effects of quasi-one-dimensional shock loading on samples of one strain of E. coli in order to try and analyse the effects of increasing peak shock pressure (PSP) on bacterial cells’ ability to grow and attempt to understand the damage mechanisms governing these changes
To put the presented results into context, it is important to note that a percentage survival of 0.52% corresponds to a drop in cell count from 2.03 × 1011 to 1.07 × 109 colony forming units per millilitre (CFU/ml) following shock loading and subsequent sample recovery
Summary
The extent to which simple life such as bacteria has the ability to survive high pressure conditions in a dynamic environment has relevance to a variety of fields including mass-extinction events, panspermia and shock-sterilisation. Recent research has produced discoveries of life-forms capable of surviving some of the harshest conditions known One such example is the discovery of microbial activity at ∼ 11 km below sea level. This study showed that levels of oxygen consumption at this extreme depth were high and subsequent testing of sediment samples showed the presence of microbial cells [5]. Another investigation in a similar field has shown that Escherichia coli has the ability to survive hydrostatic compression of up to (and possibly beyond) 2 GPa [6]. Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) has mainly been used for the destruction of stones in the human body, development in the research of shockwave effects on bacteria has sparked interest in its use for the sterilisation of blood samples [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
