Published on 12:00 AM, August 23, 2014

Microbial life found on Space Station

Microbial life found on Space Station

A new report claims that Russian scientists have discovered traces of marine life living on the exterior of the International Space Station.

Vladimir Solovyev, the official in charge of Russia's ISS segment, told the news agency Itar-Tass that tiny plankton and microscopic organisms had been discovered on the spacecraft's exterior, describing the finds as “absolutely unique”.

However, the truthfulness of Solovyev's claim is unclear, with Nasa refusing to confirm the story. “As far as we're concerned, we haven't heard any official reports from our Roscosmos colleagues that they've found sea plankton," Nasa spokesperson Dan Huot told Space.com.