NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration


Ask an Astrobiologist
"It is possible that life on earth arrived from a asteroid that contained small bacteria or something similar?"
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  1. Question

    What is the maximum temperature for endospore survival?

    Endospores are thick-walled bodies formed within the vegetative cells of certain bacteria. Since germination takes place rapidly, these prokaryotic life forms greatly increase their capacity to survive. In an experiment posted on MEDLINE, the maximum temperature for survival of spores of Baccilus strains ranged from 75 to 121 degrees Celsius. For additional information, please refer to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=659368&dopt=Abstract
    April 30, 2002