China finds a previously unknown microbe on its space station

Don’t panic! It's related to an earthly bug, eats gelatin, not astronauts, and may have adapted to life in space

Chinse scientists have found a previously unknown species of microbe on the nation’s Tiangong space station, and it may have evolved characteristics that help it to survive in space.

As explained in a paper published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, astronauts aboard China’s Tiangong space station use sterile wipes to take samples of the craft’s interior. Analysis of swabs taken in May 2023 turned up a strain of Niallia– an organism found in many places on earth – with different DNA than any terrestrial strain.

It's useful DNA, too: The paper states it has “structural and functional differences in proteins … which may enhance biofilm formation, oxidative stress response and radiation damage repair, thereby aiding its survival in the space environment.”

The ...