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ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Microbes as Cosmic Kin – An Art-Science Project at the Speculative Edge of Astrobiology

Authors: Steward, Anna; Gfellner, Sebastian V.;

Microbes as Cosmic Kin – An Art-Science Project at the Speculative Edge of Astrobiology

Abstract

Abstract BioQuantum Record is a collaboration between an artist and an astrobiologist. The project is an imaginative gesture of sending microbial life into space as emissaries and living records of Earth, rather than human-centric messages, challenging anthropocentric frameworks of space exploration by centring microbial life. Desiccated extremophile microorganisms are embedded in ceramic arkships, which act as microhabitats and speculative message carriers. These arkships are created through an iterative process involving 3D printing, mineral infusion, and multiple firings, producing geologically inspired forms. The project raises ethical questions regarding human intervention in microbial life and the responsibilities of space exploration, while foregrounding the superior adaptive capacity of microbial life, raising the question of what we can learn from microbes. Microbial survival is rooted in co-dependent metabolism and forms of interdependence. It points toward collaboration and interspecies kinship as the foundation for the continued survival of our own species. The project frames microbes as time-travellers and world-makers capable of persisting across vast timescales and shaping planetary environments, proposing a form of cosmic kinship that recognises the interconnectedness of life across species and spatial scales.

Keywords

Science fiction, Entanglement, Space exploration, Living Archives, Fictional Works as Topic, Microbial Kinship, Laboratory Encounters, Archaea, Speculative Arkship, Material Alchemy, Art

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    popularity
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    influence
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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green