TOKYO : BACTERIA CAN SURVIVE COSMIC TRIP : STUDY

Scientists have found a radiation-resistant bacteria can survive at least three years exposed to orbit, suggesting simple life forms could manage the long journey between Earth and Mars unprotected.

The Japanese scientists behind the research said Wednesday the finding lends a cadence to so-called ''panspermia theory'', which posits that microbes can travel from one planet to another, seeding life on arrival.

To test the theory, the researchers deposited a bacteria called Deinococcus radiourans outside the International Space Station at an altitude of 400 kilometres [250 miles from the Earth.

Despite enduring the harsh environment of out space and exposure to strong UV and large temperature changes, the bacteria was still alive in parts after three years.

''I knew it would survive after carrying out various experiments in the lab, but when it came back alive, I was relieved,'' Akihiko Yamagishi, study author told AFP.