In 1966, NASA launched Biosatellite I with 13 biology experiments and more than 10 million organisms; its retrorocket failed, and the spacecraft was never recoveredIn 1966, NASA's Biosatellite I mission attempted to carry over ten million organisms into orbit, but a retrorocket malfunction led to the c...
04 Sep, 2026, 01.40 PM IST
In 2010, NASA launched a 12-pound, loaf-of-bread-sized satellite with two Bacillus populations; radiation exposure reached about 15 times that of the ISS orbitNASA's O/OREOS mission embarked on an exciting journey to observe how bacteria withstand the rigors of space radiation. The compact satelli...
02 Sep, 2026, 02.30 PM IST
Indian Railways is planting an aromatic-rooted grass in Lonavala ghats to prevent landslides and avert a Nepal-like flash flood situationIndian Railways is testing vetiver, an aromatic-rooted grass native to India, as a low-cost nature-based solution to stabilise vulnerable s...
30 Aug, 2026, 03.46 PM IST
NASA sent Pseudomonas aeruginosa on shuttle Atlantis to space, where it formed denser biofilms with an unusual “column-and-canopy” structureIn groundbreaking space experiments, bacteria grown in synthetic urine were sent aboard the Atlantis space shuttle on two occasions. These ...
27 Aug, 2026, 02.50 PM IST
NASA maps where Earth microbes could survive on the Moon for days and finds unexpected refuges near the lunar polesNASA scientists found some Earth microbes could survive on the Moon. Protected lunar polar areas offer refuge from harsh radiation and temp...
27 Aug, 2026, 02.25 PM IST
In 1968, two Russian steppe tortoises travelled around the Moon before humans did. They survived a punishing 20G force while returning to EarthIn a remarkable journey, two Russian steppe tortoises embarked on a mission aboard Zond 5, orbiting the Moon in September 1968. This pionee...
26 Aug, 2026, 10.37 PM IST
In 1968, two Afghan tortoises who beat humans to the Moon lost 10% of their weight - They flew around the moon on Soviet Zond 5 and returned alive 3 months before Apollo 8In September 1968, two tortoises made history as the first animals to orbit the Moon and safely return to Earth aboard the Soviet Zond 5 sp...
24 Aug, 2026, 01.36 PM IST
NASA left a camera on the moon for 31 months; when Apollo 12 brought it home, scientists found bacteria that appeared to be aliveAfter 31 months on the moon, a bacterium discovered on the Surveyor III camera is believed to be a case of contamination. A thorough re-eva...
22 Aug, 2026, 01.20 PM IST
Why NASA's latest moon discovery creates a major dilemma for Artemis astronautsMicrobes from Earth can survive on the Moon's surface for days. New research shows shadowed lunar craters offer protective microclimates fo...
20 Aug, 2026, 09.05 PM IST
In 2003, scientists found Chile's Atacama desert so dry it had no detectable DNA. Now it's helping prepare for Mars missionsChile's Atacama Desert serves as Earth's closest Mars analogue due to its extreme dryness. This arid environment, with minimal rainfall and...
02 Aug, 2026, 04.55 PM IST
In 2005, scientists thawed 32,000-year-old organisms frozen since the Ice Age, and they started swimming almost immediately, challenging everything we knew about life's limitsNASA scientists made a groundbreaking discovery deep inside Alaskan permafrost. They defrosted 32,000-year-old bacteria frozen since the an...
27 Jul, 2026, 08.01 PM IST
NASA acidentally discovers super bacteria that could survive on MarsIn a surprising discovery, NASA scientists found 26 new bacterial species in a JPL clean room, raising concerns about planetary contaminati...
25 May, 2025, 11.06 PM IST
Now a big bang bacteria theoryAs some life forms can survive outer space, we all may have descended from ETs.
29 Aug, 2020, 09.42 AM IST
Asteroids may play key role in spreading life: StudyCalculations showed there may be as many as 10 trillion asteroid-sized objects carrying life, according to Idan Ginsburg, a postdoctoral sc...
10 Jul, 2019, 12.04 PM IST
ISS hosts as much microbes as gyms, hospitals: NASAScientists created a comprehensive catalogue of the bacteria and fungi found on surfaces inside the ISS.
08 Apr, 2019, 01.06 PM IST
In tribute to APJ Abdul Kalam, NASA names new species after him"The name of the bacterium is Solibacillus kalamii, the species name is after Dr Abdul Kalam and genus name is Solibacillus which is a spor...
21 May, 2017, 11.57 AM IST
NASA to find out whether bacteria can hitchhike their way to MarsA helium balloon carrying a special scientific experiment will launch to the edge of space from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility...
28 Sep, 2015, 01.57 PM IST