A laboratory experiment with relevance to the survival of micro-organisms entering a planetary atmosphere

A culture of E. coli was initially subjected to brief exposures to heat for durations of 30-60 s, starting with a temperature of 270 degrees C. A step wise increase of this temperature from 270 degrees C-750 degrees C and a se quential culturing led to the emergence of a strain of this bacterium with a much higher resistance to flash heating than the original culture possess ed. This behaviour would have an important relevance to the survival of mic ro-organisms upon entering a planetary atmosphere.