title: Microbial survival in space shuttle crash.
abstract: A slow growing, heat resistant bacterium, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Microbispora sp., was recovered from the wreckage of the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia (STS-107). As this organism survived disintegration of the space craft, heat of reentry, and impact, it supports the possibility of a natural mechanism for the interplanetary spread of life by meteorites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78676, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J C
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: Allana K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.forename: Valerie A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Casasanto