They can, the experiments have been done! Melosh (the guy I cite in the article) fired B. subtilis and D. Radiococcus spores from a rifle(!) and established that the acceleration and jerk aren't a problem, at levels far higher than the panspermia mechanism needs.
The problem is getting a DNA sequence through non-invasive imaging. We don't have technology that can do that; DNA in its natural state is incredibly tangled and wrapped around various helper proteins and structural supports.
The most promising technique is one I mention in the article, where you look for microbes visually and extract them with sterile tools. But it's hard to amplify the whole genome with current technology because salt interferes with the process, and the inclusion is concentrated brine.
Man, I broke a lot of nerds' hearts today. Sorry for rug-pulling you with questions on the nature and origin of life, rather than something deep and philosophical!
What would a better title have been, on a substack that is exclusively about space exploration?
"Hey lonely HN nerds, wipe the tear from your eye and come read about microbe survival times in salt, permafrost, and open space"? Something else? I'm open to suggestions.
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