Browsing by Author "Lloyd, David"

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    Balloon experiment to detect microorganisms in the outer space
    (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003-03-30) Narlikar, J. V.; Lloyd, David; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; et al.
    The results of biological studies of a cryosampler flown with a balloon, in which air samples were collected at altitudes ranging from 20 to 41 km, well above the Tropopause over Hyderabad, are described. In the analysis carried out in Cardiff, voltage-sensitive dyes that could detect the presence of viable cells were used on these air-amples. Clumps of viable cells were found to be present in samples collected at all the altitudes. The images obtained from electron microscopy are consistent with the above finding. Reference is also made to a not her paper presented at this conference describing the identification of bacterial species in the sample carried out in Sheffield. Counter arguments are discussed against the criticism that the detected cells and microorganisms (in the samples collected above the local tropopause at 16 km) are due toterrestrial contamination.
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    Possible detection of extraterrestrial life in stratospheric samples
    (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 2002-03-30) Narlikar, J. V.; Lloyd, David; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; et al.
    Direct evidence for living cells in the air samples collected aseptically over Hyderabad (India) at various altitudes is presented. In the preliminary experiment, samples collected from altitudes of 10 to 36 Km yielded six identical bacterial colonies with phenotypic characteristics distinct from hitherto described Pseu-domonas stutzeri, a terrestrial bacterium. Since in this earlier experiment the air-samples were collected over a long range of altitude (including the ones at low altitudes), it was not possible to completely rule out terrestrial contamination. On the other hand in the current experiment, the samples were collected at altitudes ranging from 20 to 41 Km, well above tho Tropopause over Hyderabad. Voltage-sensitive dyes that could detect the presence of viable cells were used on these air-samples. Clumps of viable cells were present in samples collected at all the altitudes. The images obtained from electron microscopy are consistent with the above picture. Arguments are advanced against the detected cells (in the samples collected in the present experiment above the local tropopause at 16 Kin) being due to terrestrial contamination.