What's New in Red rain study

Microscopic examination after 20 years shows that the cells are very intact .. no discoloration .. no decay when kept in room temperature in the rain water without any preservatives

Still to come.......

DNA study and Genomic DNA Isolation of red rain cells  A Santhosh Kumara,  Jincy Thottathilb, E V Soniya b and Godfrey Louisc

Abstract: The red cells which cause the coloration to the red rain of Kerala, India in 2001, has gained much scientific interest because of its absence of DNA as genetic molecules in it. In this paper we report the DNA extraction, isolation and sequencing method to identify the DNA. The CTAB protocol is carried out for the isolation, and subsequently the presence of DNA was checked by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis. Negative results obtained may be due to the limitation of the extractable quantity of DNA in the cells or due to the limitation of the protocol.  Hence, DNA extraction, purification and Genomic sequencing were carried out using two protocols namely; UltraClean™Tissue & Cells DNA Isolation Kit and NucleoSpin™ Tissue were used.  The negative results obtained in the DNA detection in the present studies are discussed in view of the lack of phosphorous in the cells using the EDAX by HRTEM. Continuous auto fluorescence features of pigment removed red cell using DMSO, without DAPI dye indicates that the fluorescence resulted in earlier reports was not due to DNA.

 Still to come.......

Temperature stability of the red pigment of red rain cells  A Santhosh Kumara and Godfrey Louisb 

 a School of Pure & Applied Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills P.O, Kottayam-686560, Kerala, India

b Astrobiology Division, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin University P.O, Cochin-682022, Kerala, India

 Abstract:

Recent evidences of the features of the red cells which caused the coloration to the red rain of Kerala are very interesting. UV-Vis-NIR absorption studies were conducted in the pigment, of the red cells, extracted using DMSO. Absorption spectra of extracted pigment showed 4 peaks in the visible region and several unexplainable fine structures in the NIR region. The temperature stability of the extracted red pigment extracted using DMSO  was  studied by recording the absorption in the visible region after incubating the pigment at different temperatures which shows that it was very stable up to 190oC. The present results were compared with the temperature stability of known natural pigment, carotenoid. 

Still to come.......

Unusual autofluorescence of the red rain cells and the possible reason for the extended red emission in the interstellar medium

A Santhosh Kumar and Godfrey Louis  School of Pure & Applied Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India                         Astrobiology Division, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin, Kerala, India

Abstract

The carrier of the dust-associated photoluminescence process causing ERE in many dusty interstellar environments remains unidentified. Several competing models are so far had been proposed and many of them are more or less able to match the observed broad ERE band but still remains unrevealed.  Here in this paper we showed that the emission spectra of red cells, which caused the red colour to the red-rain of Kerala, have unusual autofluorescence. The emission bands in the visible region is changing with the excitation wavelength which is unusual and are matching with the spectrum of the cultured red rain cells. Additionally the red rain cells have a broad emission peak ranging from 520- 720nm  which can be correlated with the possible reason for the ERE in the ISM and other galaxies, if they are good candidate in the ISM.  ( to be submitted in Astrophysical journal.)

ANOTHER case of Rain in Vallikkunnu and uthinkal Panchayat Malappuram District, Kerala on 23rd Aug 2014

Also people witnessed Red Rain at Aluva Ernakulam district on 22 August 2014

We have analyzed the sample collected from Aluva.  The  same red coloured microbes are  seen in the water.

Still to come.....

Replication of Red rain microorganism at extreme temperature and pressure... wait...

We gave the samples to Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe for Collaborative study...

University of south Wales published their findings on Red cells (An Independent Study using the sample from Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe) in Current Microbiology

Red Rain Cells of Kerala as a Possible Carrier of the Diffuse Interstellar Bands and the UV Extinction Bump

A. Santhosh Kumar, N. Chandra Wickramasinghe and Godfrey Louis 

Advances in Astrophysics, Vol. 4, No. 2, May 2019  Full paper

Abstract Despite various proposals, no conclusive identification exists for the carriers of diffuse  interstellar absorption bands DIBs and the UV extinction bump at 217.5 nm. The red rain cells of Kerala show strong absorption features near 216.5 nm and several weak absorption features in the wavelength region 400 to 900 nm which are superimposed on a broader blue-UV absorption peak. The red pigment extracted from the cells show strong peaks at 334 nm and 440 nm along with multitude of weak peaks. The measured absorption peaks are compared with that of DIBs and the UV bump. The higher peak widths for red cells in comparison with DIBs is attributed to the temperature difference between space environment and laboratory. Our results of the absorption spectra of red rain cells show significant correlation with the reported  wavelengths of numerous DIBs and the UV extinction bump of the interstellar medium, thus showing that the red rain cells, which are of suspected extraterrestrial origin, is a plausible carrier of DIBs and the UV extinction bump.

BIOSIGNATURES OF KERALA RED RAIN CELLS: IMPLICATIONS IN UNDERSTANDING THEIR ORIGIN

Author(s): Rajkumar Gangappa, Malcolm Thomas and Stuart Hogg, European Planetary Science Congress 2013 

Biosignatures of ‘Red Rain’ Microbes Revealed by UV-Visible and Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Rajkumar Gangappa, Kani M. Rauf , Anthony K. Campbell, Stuart I. Hogg and Malcolm C. Thomas

International Journal of Microbial Resource Technology Accepted 3 Nov 2014, Available online 1 December. 2014, Vol.2, No. 3 (2014)

Abstract

The unusual properties of the ‘red rain’ cells that fell in Kerala, India have given rise to speculation over their identity and provenance, but little biological analysis has been attempted. The present study investigates the properties of the red pigment that give these cells their characteristic color. Though more investigation is required for complete chemical and molecular characterisation of red pigment, we report the successful extraction of these compounds from red rain cells using DMSO, and their subsequent analysis by UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. Distinct spectral signatures suggest the presence of porphyrin complexes inconsistent with chloro