3 ms·

What’s the temperature in outer space? The ones my wife uses for long term storage of samples is -80C I think, and that’s good for years - but I guess “good” in

by olliej 6y ago

What’s the temperature in outer space? The ones my wife uses for long term storage of samples is -80C I think, and that’s good for years - but I guess “good” in this case may just mean “dna remains that can be processed”

phobosanomaly 6y ago
Apparently the main thing this bug stands out for is its outstanding ability to repair damaged DNA. So what I found super interesting is that it might not be "dna remains that can be processed" when the mechanism of death is radiation damage. I assumed it was damaged DNA too. "...the acute cell killing occurs by destroying the proteome’s functional integrity, not necessarily genome integrity, because even an excessively damaged genome can be fully repaired by an active proteome, even if it takes days (Slade et al. 2009), ensuring the perpetuation of cellular life." (from the Krisko and Radman article from Cold Spring Harbor above)
cbanek 6y ago
Temperature is a tricky concept in space, since you're in a vacuum and there's not much of a medium to really transport heat energy between objects. Therefore if you're in the light, it can heat you up. If you're in the shadow of something (or the side facing away from the light), it can get cold. This is why a lot of spaceships rotate to try and distribute the heat. Also getting rid of heat is tricky, since there's no air to heat around you (and therefore take the heat away from the object). You can also get rid of heat by radiating it, so the ISS for example has radiators with big surface area for getting rid of heat. In space though, you're also at risk of things like cosmic rays which could impact and destroy or damage DNA. If you're far enough away from a star, it's a couple of degrees above absolute zero, or about -270C.
lmilcin 6y ago
The temperature is going to highly depend on how you measure. Theoretically, the gasses are extremely hot. But the pressure is so low that it doesn't matter. The temperature of your thermometer will greatly depend on what it is attached to and whether it is in the sunlight or not.

by olliej 6y ago

phobosanomaly 6y ago

Apparently the main thing this bug stands out for is its outstanding ability to repair damaged DNA. So what I found super interesting is that it might not be "dna remains that can be processed" when the mechanism of death is radiation damage. I assumed it was damaged DNA too. "...the acute cell killing occurs by destroying the proteome’s functional integrity, not necessarily genome integrity, because even an excessively damaged genome can be fully repaired by an active proteome, even if it takes days (Slade et al. 2009), ensuring the perpetuation of cellular life." (from the Krisko and Radman article from Cold Spring Harbor above)

cbanek 6y ago

Temperature is a tricky concept in space, since you're in a vacuum and there's not much of a medium to really transport heat energy between objects. Therefore if you're in the light, it can heat you up. If you're in the shadow of something (or the side facing away from the light), it can get cold. This is why a lot of spaceships rotate to try and distribute the heat. Also getting rid of heat is tricky, since there's no air to heat around you (and therefore take the heat away from the object). You can also get rid of heat by radiating it, so the ISS for example has radiators with big surface area for getting rid of heat. In space though, you're also at risk of things like cosmic rays which could impact and destroy or damage DNA. If you're far enough away from a star, it's a couple of degrees above absolute zero, or about -270C.

lmilcin 6y ago

The temperature is going to highly depend on how you measure. Theoretically, the gasses are extremely hot. But the pressure is so low that it doesn't matter. The temperature of your thermometer will greatly depend on what it is attached to and whether it is in the sunlight or not.