Bacteria on the space station are evolving for life in space

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From article:

Bacteria on the space station are evolving for life in space

Genetic analysis shows that microbes growing inside the International Space Station have adaptations for radiation and low gravity, and may pose a threat to astronauts

By James Woodford
20 September 2024

The International Space Station has its own distinctive microbiome

Bacteria on board the International Space Station (ISS) have evolved new traits in order to survive in low Earth orbit, and some show signs of increased virulence.
Microbes from Earth have made their way to the station via human hosts and the regular delivery of equipment and supplies.

NASA has been monitoring the ISS’s microbiome for a decade to understand how microbes survive in space conditions and what threat they might pose to astronauts’… health.

In recent years, researchers have isolated numerous unique strains of bacteria from the ISS with genetic changes that seem to offer protection against the increased radiation and weightlessness experienced aboard the station.

In the latest study, Kasthuri Venkateswaran at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and his colleagues studied newly discovered bacterial species found in ISS samples: Microbacterium mcarthurae, Microbacterium meiriae, Paenibacillus vandeheii, Arthrobacter burdickii and Leifsonia williamsii. They sequenced the genomes of the bacteria and compared them with their nearest known relatives on Earth.

“Our study shows that the microorganisms we isolated from the International Space Station have uniquely adapted to survive in space when compared to the Earth counterparts,” says Venkateswaran.

The adaptations found in ISS microbes include proteins that help them cope with microgravity and improved ways to repair their DNA, which can be damaged by radiation exposure in space.

“These microbes have found ways to live and possibly even thrive in space, and understanding how they do this could have big benefits for space exploration and health,” says Venkateswaran.

So far, it is unclear what threat these bacteria pose to astronauts’ health, but Venkateswaran and his colleagues say that some of the genetic traits they identified suggest potential pathogenic capabilities. The ISS species show enhanced activity of certain genes linked to bacterial virulence, including those that help them evade and damage the immune system. They can also form biofilms: slimy layers that stick to surfaces and can help bacteria resist antibiotics and disinfectants.

The findings suggest astronauts will need to make more effort to control moisture inside spacecraft to prevent the growth of biofilms, the researchers say.
The team also suggests that the identified genetic traits could become targets for new drugs if these microorganisms turn out to harm humans.

“Monitoring the microbial population on board the human habitats in long missions and characterising their genetic traits are crucial for safeguarding astronaut health,” says Venkateswaran.

“Space is a new environment for those of us interested in extremophile bacteria,” says Matthew Baker at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
He says the findings on virulence are “not necessarily alarming”, but it is hard to predict the future and the work highlights the importance of monitoring microbes on space voyages and taking countermeasures to manage any that may threaten health.

“We are still surprised daily by the diversity of life and the conditions that it can tolerate,” says Baker.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is evolution in real time.

Lots of doom and gloom here, but there’s also a huge potential benefit here in studying the mechanisms they are evolving for DNA repair in an environment with elevated radiation. This could prove useful for long term human space exploration, and maybe even provide some benefits here on Earth.

We’re a couple of generations away from astrophage.

Finnaly a live action movie about metroid fusion!

The 0.01 percent of bacteria that can’t be Lysol’d…

The Mir space station had a very similar problem.

So it was humans all along that created Astrophage that devoured stars?

Can’t say I’m surprised, just disappointed

Dr. Ian Malcolm in “Jurassic Park” was indeed right, when he said: “Life finds a way!”

Is there non-terrestrial life in space? There is now.

Sounds like the protomolecule is up to its shit again.

Neat! I mean, it would make sense that they would, I wonder how that could be applied in human health in space.

Just land it back on Earth so that the sudden increase in gravity will kill them, duh

Oh man the Blob is coming true! We sent bacteria to space and when it comes down it’s going to eat us!

Seriously though it’s cool they they are studying how they are growing in that environment.