A new microbe alerts researchers to alien threats in orbit
Space oddity
A new and potentially threatening microbe has been discovered aboard the Tiangong space station, a new study has found.
Unknown to man
Christened niallia tiangongensis, this particular microbe is alien to Earth and is unknown to humans while being a cousin to microbes already on the radar, according to Science Alert.
Lurking presence
Using swabs, the Chinese astronauts came across the microbe lurking in a cabin inside the space station, reports Newsweek.
Essential to astronaut health
The study of said microbe could be essential to the health of astronauts going forward as well as biossecurity and protecting the workings of spacecraft during long missions, according to Science Alert.
Chinese findings
The findings were revealed by researchers from Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group and Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
Cosmic resilience
The niallia tiangongensis microbe was found to be resilient when exposed to space-specific stressors and managed to bounce back from radiation damage. It also showed a stunning ability to survive oxidative stress.
Relevance to Earth
With plans for extended space travel in the future both to the Moon and Mars, grasping how microbes can adapt to space will be hugely significant both in orbit but also back on Earth in areas such as medicine, engineering and agriculture.
Space travelers
The discovery of a new microbe aboard a spaceship is in fact nothing new; many new strains of bacterium turn out to be space travelers.
Multiple strains
NASA found dozens of strains belonging to 26 new species being harbored in its so-called 'clean rooms' used to prepare the Mars Phoenix mission.
