What terrestrial organism is cited as an example of one that can survive intense radiation and replicate after years in orbit?
Answer
*Deinococcus radiodurans*.
The inherent hardiness of terrestrial organisms like *Deinococcus radiodurans*, which can survive intense radiation and replicate after long periods in orbit, complicates claims of discovering truly extraterrestrial life on spacecraft exteriors.
Related Questions
Has humanity definitively found a single, bona fide alien bacterium to date?Which microbial phyla have been revealed to exist in microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS)?What terrestrial organism is cited as an example of one that can survive intense radiation and replicate after years in orbit?In which geographical location was the ancient Martian meteorite ALH84001 recovered?What specific structural feature in ALH84001 was considered one of the primary lines of evidence implying ancient life?What critical physical limitation reduced the scientific confidence in the 'fossil' shapes found within the Martian meteorite ALH84001?What characteristic allows *Tersicoccus phoenicis* to evade detection even after rigorous cleaning procedures in spacecraft assembly facilities?What specific factor does *Tersicoccus phoenicis* require to reawaken from its state of deep hibernation?According to the text, what is the central obstacle in the search for extraterrestrial organisms?What is considered the real breakthrough needed to gain confidence in an extraterrestrial discovery?