The presence of microbial life in Earth’s stratosphere is not only opening up a new arena in which to study extremophiles, but is increasing the range of possible environments in which we may find life on other planets. This is the conclusion of a new study that summarizes what we know about stratospheric life so far.
The stratosphere is the atmospheric zone that lies directly above the dynamic troposphere where we live, but it is mostly a mystery when it comes to the life that exists there.
You might not realize it when you’re staring out a plane window (we fly through the lowest levels of the stratosphere when we’re cruising over 35,000 feet), but there are all kinds of microorganisms out there, according to Professor Shiladitya DasSarma, who is a microbiologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA , and a co-author on the new study, which is published in the journal Current Opinion in Microbiology.
“Generally, people don’t think of microbes being airborne,” he tells Astrobiology Magazine. “But there’s a saying in microbiology: Everything is everywhere.”
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