Aliens from outer space or flying algae?

The journal of cosmology shared a funny article by British researchers [1], which claims that they were able to find traces of aliens from outer space in the stratosphere at an altitude of more than 25 km. No, these are not little green men in a flying saucer. The Journal of Cosmology, although famous for its unusualness, is still not to that extent. The essence of the article is that a sterilized electron microscope was launched into the stratosphere, analyzing the particles falling on it. One of the particles turned out to be a fragment of diatom algae. Since algae do not fly like birds, then... the authors conclude that the particle came to us from space in an icy comet.

Ironically, literally at the same time, the leading geological journal Geology published an article [2], the title of which, translated, sounds like “High-flying diatoms [algae].” This work showed that approximately 26 thousand years ago, the New Zealand volcano Taupo ejected a pyroclastic plume, which included more than half a cubic meter. kilometers of diatom deposits that lay at the base of the volcano. The erupted particles scattered hundreds of kilometers in the direction of the wind.

Due to the fact that endemic algae got into this eruption, it was possible to restore the direction of the wind using their “footprints”. Given that volcanic plumes often rise into the stratosphere to altitudes of 25 km and higher, it is not unusual that rare particles of diatoms, as well as other small fragments from the Earth's surface, can fly at such altitudes.

Aleksey Ivanov

1. Wainwright M., Rose C.E., Baker AJ., Briston K.J., Wickramasinghe N.C. Isolation of a diatome frustule fragment from the lower stratosphere (22-27 km) — evidence for a cosmic origin. Journal of Cosmology, 2013, v. 22, p. 10183-10188.
2. Van Eaton A.R., Harper M.A., Wilson CJ.N. High-flying diatoms: Widespread dispersal of microorganisms in an explosive volcanic eruption. Geology, 2013, v. 41, p. 1187-1190.