Browsing by Author "Wickramasinghe, N. C."

Now showing 1 - 17 of 17

Are these stratospheric nanoparticles bacteria?
(2004-03-27) Wainwright, M.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; Narlikar, J. V.; et al.
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.
Confirmation of the presence of viable but non-culturable bacteria in the stratosphere
(Cambridge University Press, 2004-01-05) Wainwright, M.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; Narlikar, J. V.; et al.
The presence of viable, but non-cultureable, bacteria on membranes through which stratospheric air samples were passed has been confirmed using viable fluorescent staining.
Cosmic iron whiskers: their origin, length distribution and astrophysical consequences
(World Scientiﬁc Publishing Company, 1997-01-20) Narlikar, J. V.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; Sachs, R.; et al.
The idea that iron ejected from supernovae condenses in the form of slender whiskers is developed further. The formation mechanism and the resulting length distribution of the whiskers are related to several astrophysical and cosmological phenomena.
Detection of living cells in stratospheric samples
(SPIE Conference, 2002-04-14) Narlikar, J. V.; Harris, Melanie J.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; et al.
Air samples collected aseptically over tropical India at various stratospheric altitudes ranging from 20 to 41 km using cryosampler assemblies carried on balloons flown from Hyderabad have shown evidence of living microbial cells. Unambiguous evidence of living cells came from examining micropore filters on which the samples were recovered with the use of voltage sensitive lipophilic dyes that could detect the presence of active cells. Clumps of viable cells were found at all altitudes using this technique, and this conclusion was found to be consistent with images obtained from electron microscopy. Since the 41 km sample was collected well above the local tropopause, aprimafacie case for a space incidence of these microoraganisms is established. Further work on culturing, PCR analysis and isotopic analysis is in progress.
Detection of microorganisms at high altitudes
(Indian Academy of Sciences, 2003-07-10) Narlikar, J. V.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; Wainwright, M.; et al.
Dust model for the cosmic microwave background
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1975-02-07) Narlikar, J. V.; Edmunds, M. G.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; et al.
The cosmic microwave background may be explained on the basis of absorption and reemission of the light from galaxies by graphite whiskers of lengths l⋍0.1-1 mm. The mass density of such particles required is of the order of 10−³⁴ g cm−³ .
Functions and possible provenance of primordial proteins
(American Chemical Society, 2004-11-17) Sommer, Andrei P.; Miyake, Norimune; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; et al.
Nanobacteria or living nanovesicles are of great interest to the scientific community because of their dual nature: on the one hand, they appear as primal biosystems originating life; on the other hand, they can cause severe diseases. Their survival as well as their pathogenic potential is apparently linked to a self-synthesized protein-based slime, rich in calcium and phosphate (when available). Here, we provide challenging evidence for the occurrence of nanobacteria in the stratosphere, reflecting a possibly primordial provenance of the slime. An analysis of the slime’s biological functions may lead to novel strategies suitable to block adhesion modalities in modern bacterial populations.
Interpretation of the cosmic microwave background
(Nature Publishing Group, 1968-03-30) Narlikar, J. V.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.
Limits on a microwave background without the big bang
(Pergamon, 1976-01-11) Narlikar, J. V.; Edmunds, M. G.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.
The possibility of explaining the cosmic microwave back- ground in terms of thermalisation of radiation from such sources as galaxies by dust grains is explored further. Relevant calcula- tions of the optical cross-sections of graphite whiskers are given and it is shown that a smeared out dust density of ^ 10~³³ g cm~³ is required. Limits are set on the large-angle anisotropy of the background which is to be expected on the basis of this model. The relative merits of the conventional explanation and the present theory are discussed and a few discriminatory observational tests proposed. Some cosmological implications of whisker grains in the intergalactic space are examined.
Microorganisms cultured from stratospheric air samples obtained at 41 km
(Elsevier Science Publishers, 2002-12-03) Wainwright, M.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; Narlikar, J. V.; et al.
Samples of air removed from the stratosphere, at an altitude of 41 km, were previously found to contain viable, but non-cultureable bacteria (cocci and rods). Here, we describe experiments aimed at growing these, together with any other organisms, present in these samples. Two bacteria (Bacillus simplex and Staphylococcus pasteuri) and a single fungus, Engyodontium album (Limber) de Hoog were isolated from the samples. Although the possibility of contamination can never be ruled out when space-derived samples are studied on earth, we are confident that the organisms originated from the stratosphere. Possible mechanisms by which these organisms could have attained such a height are discussed
Microwave background in a steady-state universe
(Nature Publishing Group, 1967-10-07) Narlikar, J. V.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.
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.
Possible interpretations of the magnitude-redshift relation for supernovae of type IA
(American Astronomical Society, 2000-06-23) Banerjee, Shyamal K.; Narlikar, J. V.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; et al.
It has been shown by Riess et al. and Perlmutter et al. that the observed redshift-magnitude relation for supernovae of type Ia, which suggests that the deceleration parameter is negative, can be explained in a Friedmann model with a positive cosmological constant. We show that a quasi-steady state cosmology (QSSC) model can also fit the supernova data. Since most of the emphasis and publicity have been concentrated on explanations involving the Friedmann model, we show how a good Ðt can be obtained to the observations in the framework of the QSSC. Using this model, we show that absorption due to intergalactic dust may play an important role. This may explain why a few of the supernovae observed show large deviations from the curve determined by the majority of the data.
Primordial planets explain interstellar dust, the formation of life, and falsify dark energy
(2011-11-22) Gibsona, Carl H.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; Schild, Rudolph E.
Hydrogravitional-dynamics (HGD) cosmology of Gibson/Schild 1996 predicts proto-globular-star-cluster clumps of Earth-mass planets fragmented from plasma at 300 Kyr. Stars promptly formed from mergers of these gas planets, and chemicals C, N, O, Fe etc. were created by the stars and their supernovae.Seeded gas planets reduced the oxides to hot water oceans. Water oceans at critical temperature 647 K then hosted the first organic chemistry and the first life, distributed to the 1080 planets of the cosmological big bang by comets produced by the new (HGD) planet-merger star formation mechanism. This biological big bang began at 2 Myr when liquid oceans condensed. Life distributed by Hoyle/Wickramasinghe cometary panspermia evolved in a cosmological primordial soup of the merging planets throughout the universe. A primordial astrophysical basis is provided for astrobiology by HGD cosmology. Concordance ΛCDMHC cosmology is rendered obsolete by the observation of complex life on Earth, falsifying the dark energy and cold dark matter concepts. The dark matter of galaxies is mostly primordial planets in protoglobularstarcluster clumps, 30,000,000 planets per star (not 8!). Complex organic chemicals of the interstellar dust is formed by life on these planets, and distributed by their comets.
Progress towards the vindication of panspermia
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002-04-29) Narlikar, J. V.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.; Wainwright, M.; et al.
Theories of panspermia are rapidly coming into vogue, with the possibility of the transfer of viable bacterial cells from one planetary abode to another being generally accepted as inevitable. The panspermia models of Hoyle and Wickramasinghe require the transfer of viable bacterial cells from interstellar dust to comets and back into interplanetary and interstellar space. In such a cycle a viable fraction of as little as 10−18 at the inception of a newly formed comet/planet system suffices for cometary panspermia to dominate over competing processes for the origin and transfer of life. The well-attested survival attributes of microbes under extreme conditions, which have recently been discovered, gives credence to the panspermia hypothesis. The prediction of the theory that comets bring microbes onto the Earth at the present time is testable if aseptic collections of stratospheric air above the tropopause can be obtained. We describe a recent collection of this kind and report microbiological analysis that shows the existence of viable cells at 41 km, falling to Earth at the rate of a few tonnes per day over the entire globe. Some of these cells have been cultured in the laboratory and found to include microorganisms that are not too different from related species on the Earth. This is in fact what the Hoyle-Wickramasinghe theory predicts. The weight of evidence goes against the more conservative explanation that organisms are being lofted to the high atmosphere from the ground.
Radiation of microwaves and infrared by slender graphite needles
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1984-03-22) Hoyle, F.; Narlikar, J. V.; Wickramasinghe, N. C.
It has become clear from sources observed by IRAS that there are many examples which attain maximum emission per unit (frequency) bandwidth longward of 100 μm. Here, we show that a large emissivity at such long wavelengths can be obtained by needle-shaped particles of free carbon. Indeed for needles with a sufficiently high ratio of length to diameter the large emissivity extends from the infrared through the whole microwave region of the spectrum.