# Asteroid Ryugu Sample Quickly Taken Over by Earth Microbes 🪐

**URL:** <https://onehack.st/t/asteroid-ryugu-sample-quickly-taken-over-by-earth-microbes/296603>\
**Category:** News & Articles\
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**Created:** [November 29, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/asteroid-ryugu-sample-quickly-taken-over-by-earth-microbes/296603 "2024-11-29T23:41:25Z")\
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**Author:** ![TheJoker](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/thejoker/32/22660_2.png) [@TheJoker](https://onehack.st/u/TheJoker)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/asteroid-ryugu-sample-quickly-taken-over-by-earth-microbes/296603/1 "2024-11-29T23:41:25Z")

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**Summary:**

1. **Rapid Microbial Growth**  
A sample from **asteroid Ryugu** was quickly **colonized by Earth microbes** , despite strict contamination controls, as found by researchers from **Imperial College London**.

2. **Strict Handling Measures**  
The sample, collected by **JAXA’s Hayabusa 2 mission** , was handled in a **hermetically sealed** nitrogen environment and stored in sterile conditions to avoid contamination.

3. **Microbial Evidence**  
Filaments resembling **terrestrial microorganisms** were found, showing signs of **growth and decline** over time, suggesting a **5.2-day generation cycle** of prokaryotes.

4. **Contamination Source**  
The study concluded that the microbes were likely introduced during **sample preparation** , not from the asteroid itself, emphasizing the **challenge of protecting extraterrestrial samples**.

5. **Future Precautions**  
Researchers recommend **enhanced contamination controls** for future missions to **preserve the integrity** of space samples and prevent microbial colonization.

**Read more at:** [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2024-11-ryugu-asteroid-sample-rapidly-colonized.html)