China has a space station named Tiangong that we don’t hear much about in US media, which is a shame. The station was launched in part because “Congress passed a law prohibiting NASA from collaborating with China aboard the ISS due to U.S. national security concerns.” More petty nationalism interfering with good science.
Anyway, they swabbed the crew quarters and discovered a novel bacterial species, Niallia tiangongensis. It is, of course, related to a common earth bacterium found in the soil, but it has evolved a few new adaptations.
Niallia tiangongensis exhibits structural and functional variations that mean it is well-adapted to existing in a space station. It possesses the ability to hydrolyze gelatin (break down this protein into smaller components) in a unique way, allowing the protein to be consumed for survival in nutrient-poor environments. In addition, these bacteria are able to form a protective biofilm, activate oxidative stress responses, and promote repair in the face of radiation damage. “This aids their survival in the space environment,” the paper explains.
In case you’re wondering if we’re creating a bacterium gap
, have no fear: novel bacteria have also been found on the International Space Station. These 5 species are completely different from the Chinese species, unsurprisingly — these are new environments, and bacteria are rapidly diverging and adapting.
Five novel species of Gram-positive bacteria that were isolated from the ISS were analyzed. Their generic features and the results of other molecular analyses are presented. These bacteria were obtained from various flights, locations, and time periods, and are associated with different phylogenetic groups. The strain F6_3S_P_1C, which belongs to the Paenibacillus genus, has been identified as a spore-former, while the other four species were identified as non-spore-forming Actinobacteria. Through ANI and AAI analysis, we established closest Earth relatives. Additionally, we performed synteny analysis using all top ANI hits for each of the five organisms, but yielded no results (data not shown), thus indicating all ISS isolates are distinct species.
This is not a surprise. It’s what bacteria (and other living things) do — they adapt and evolve.
“Life, uh, finds a way.”
-Dr. Ian Malcolm
Is bacterial evolution so much faster than that of say mammals? Seems pretty quick to adapt to a new environment when you were just shot into space recently.
@ ^ rorschach : One small space station for humans, many many many* lifetimes and generations and generations and genreations* in space for microbes.
Probly many “many’s” more than that too..
@2 It isn’t that bacteria evolve more rapidly, it’s just the generation time period from one generation to the next is measured in minutes rather than years/decades.
One of the classic intro to bio lab exercises I did involved growing E. coli in a liquid growth medium, then measuring the growth rate by measuring how quickly a ray of light was obscured by the increasing bacteria population. It only took about 20 minutes to get really noticeable numbers, the early low numbers showed up much quicker. Ah, the fun college days!
Also, when the population in question is measured in the billions if not more, it doesn’t take long to get measurable mutations.
ISS is scheduled to be decommissioned and dropped into Point Nemo in six years. Perhaps these five novel species will be permanently extinctified.
Hey sorry to post off topic like this, but what’s the decorum for continuing a discussion from another post? I replied to some people and I worry they didn’t see my answers to what they said.
“Decorum”? This. Is. PHARYNGULA!
But but.. you can never see evolution happening!!
i think that’s what it means for something to be alive: ‘problem-solving’
[could maybe get picky and say that ability has to extend from consumption (well, naturally) and then exhibit some survival/existence solutions]
I think this is an extension of Gould’s humbling concept of Modal Bacter, though so is filesharing via plasmids and phages which aids in antibiotic resistance.
More so with viruses but a good reason for somatic DNA recombination and hypermutation with lymphocytes is the generation time difference between humans and microbes. Our way of dealing with that arms race. Doubt a totally worm brained dumbfuck like RFK Jr could grasp pathogens or vaccines changing our DNA or the latter being a helpful form of lymphocytes “doing their own research”.
We are so so fucked now by official ignorance at the highest levels, especially given the quashed promise of mRNA vaccine technology because people don’t know how shit works in reality.
[meta]
“Decorum”? This. Is. PHARYNGULA!
Echoes of a bygone era, right there.
(Your connoted advice got grokked, PZ, FWTW)
Oh and anyone who still argues vaccines don’t change DNA should learn some basic immunology. Affinity maturation is why you want to get a shot. It’s why I do it, though because dumbfuck RFK Jr I am no longer old enough to get a COVID vaccination? The dirtbag who left a bear in Central Park or who played no small part in the recent huge uptick in measles in the US? Fuck that piece of shit! Decorum?
Vaccines change DNA? That’s news to me.
pilgham @13
Response to antigens in general yes. Vaccination was a helpful incorporation of that response. Dingbats think it’s the same thing as retroviruses like HIV taking over immune cells or some sort of genetic engineering. Nope!
The organism even has a theme song.
“Theme Song | The Green Slime | Warner Archive”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=vwrhOd9Do2A