Perspective of insects invading the universe

Will nanoscale protective suits allow the forms of life to travel in space and invade planets?

It was a question that appeared in the minds of Japanese experts at Hamamatsu Medical University. And they used electron beams to transform the larva's natural secretion into an 'nano astronaut' , allowing insect descendants to survive under vacuum conditions for the entire hour. This special suit, consisting of a layer of 50 - 100 nanometers thick, can provide good protection for soft-bodied insects in a vacuum, which should have killed them instantly, according to Report on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Do not rule out the possibility of insects spreading throughout the universe - (Photo: LAT)

Scientists tested the type of 'astronaut' on a variety of different larvae under vacuum and observed their activity under an electron microscope. The results were very unexpected. While most larvae shrank and rolled back and forth - like the case of a person being thrown into a space without wearing heavy protective gear - fruit fly larvae seem to be able to survive up to 60. minutes in such extreme conditions. When observing the surface of these organisms, the scientists discovered that the extracellular matrix covered the fruit flies, under the action of electron beams, forming a plastic layer. The guard acts as a thin astronaut suit. The larvae that are not irradiated still die under vacuum. Clearly, radiation is the key to pushing these wastes together to form an effective armor layer, just like this three-layer straight coating technique on the larvae.

However, the larvae of other insects do not secrete these compounds, so whether or not electron irradiation is the same. Instead, scientists immerse the larvae in a solution called Tween 20 at 1% concentration, and expose them to electronic radiation. The results showed that Tween 20 acts like a fruit fly secretion, and forms a very thin layer of armor on the body. All organisms treated in this direction survived in a vacuum, including Dugesia japonica, Pristomyrmex punctatus and Talitrus saltator flea. They even develop into normal adult individuals, able to adapt well despite the tough challenges of early life.

So, if these little creatures can survive longer in the space environment, can they travel through? And how do they equip astronauts? Turns out, electron beams and plasmas exist universally in the universe, including the environment on Earth. This means that these nanograms can be created wherever there is life. Under the impact of spread by asteroids, it does not exclude the possibility that they can spread throughout the universe. Of course, that's just an interesting hypothesis.