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Dannie Peng

Chinese scientists have discovered a new microbe that developed on board the county’s Tiangong space station, according to a new study.
The strain, officially named niallia tiangongensis, is a new variant of a previously known terrestrial bacteria and was found on a cabin in the space station.
The discovery was announced by researchers from the Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
The paper said it was “essential” to understand the characteristics of microbes during long-term space missions to safeguard the health of astronauts and maintain the functionality of spacecraft.
The authors added that this new strain had ingenious mechanisms for adapting to the extreme space environment – a discovery that could have many real-life implications.
For instance, the strain had a better ability to combat oxidative stress – a condition that leads to cell and tissue damage due to an imbalance in the body – and reverse radiation-induced damage, according to the study.
Decoding its survival mechanism could help scientists design precise and targeted control strategies for microbes – and this could then be used in a number of sectors, including space technology, agriculture and medicine.
The China Manned Space Agency said Tiangong’s operations would produce a “bumper harvest” of research relating to the active substances, genetic resources and metabolic functions of microbes, and that insights gained in orbit could lead to new applications on Earth.
The agency said in a social media post that the work was part of a programme called Champ (China Space Station Habitation Area Microbiome Programme), which tracks microbial dynamics during long-term station operations.
The microbe was collected in May 2023, when the Shenzhou-15 crew were on board the space station.
They spent six months on the vessel, during which time they collected microorganisms from the surface of the space station modules using sterile wipes that were then frozen and returned to Earth.
Scientists analysing the samples used techniques such as genome sequencing and metabolic analysis to discover the new sample.
They found that it belonged to the genus niallia within the cyto bacillaceae – a family of rod-shaped bacteria – but they concluded it was genetically distinct from its closest terrestrial relatives, according to China’s manned space agency.
The survival of microorganisms in space stations depends upon factors such as the interplay of complex conditions such as microgravity, radiation and confinement.
However, they are not easily killed because they are widely known for their strength, resilience and ability to adapt to their environment.


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China

The microbe developed in a cabin and its discovery could have important implications for the future of space travel


The microbe developed in a cabin and its discovery could have important implications for the future of space travel.


China's space programme

Tiangong space station

New strain of bacteria found on China’s Tiangong space station

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The microbe developed in a cabin and its discovery could have important implications for the future of space travel

The microbe developed in a cabin and its discovery could have important implications for the future of space travel