Quick Answer
Bacteria on the International Space Station have evolved into strains never seen before on Earth.
Sources & References
- 1NASANASA's Ames Research Center conducted a study finding that bacteria isolated from the International Space Station (ISS) were not more virulent than their Earth counterparts, although they showed genetic adaptations.nasa.gov
- 2MicrobiomeA study published in the journal Microbiome analyzed five years of microbial data from the ISS, revealing the presence of a persistent, multi-drug resistant bacterium, Enterobacter bugandensis, which had evolved unique resistance mechanisms.microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com
- 3Phys.orgPhys.org reported that a new study identified two common bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter bugandensis, that have adapted to the ISS environment and diversified into genetically distinct strains.phys.org
Small TalkLearn more about the International Space Station, the orbital laboratory where these bacterial studies take place.getsmalltalk.com
