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No. 32: Mar-Apr 1984

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Spores still viable after 7,000 years

Bacterial spores embedded in muds lining Minnesota's Elk Lake -- the muds were carbon-dated at 7518 years(!) -- grew vigorously when placed in a nutrient-rich solution.

(Anonymous; "Spores Still Viable after 7,000 Years," Science News, 124:280, 1983.)

Comment. Such long periods of suspended animation support the panspermia concept, which states that life can be transported through outer space on meteorites and other debris.

From Science Frontiers #32, MAR-APR 1984. � 1984-2000 William R. Corliss