Chinese scientists discover mysterious Bacteria 400km Above on Tiangong Space Station

Chinese scientists have come to know about a new bacteria in space. Scientists have discovered this new species of bacteria at Tiangong Space Station. A paper has been published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. According to which the new bacterial strain has been named Niallia tiangongensis. This strain was found in microorganism samples collected from the surfaces of Tiangong during Shanejhou 15 mission, which returned to Earth in June 2023.

The new bacteria have been described as aerobic, spores -maker and rod -shaped bacteria. This is the first time a new species has been discovered at Tiangong, a three -module space station in the Lower Earth Orbit. The paper states that the new strain is similar to niallia circulaans that are found on earth. But there have been many mutations in it which can prove to be beneficial in the study of life in space. According to the Science Alert, the paper states that understanding the characteristics of microorganisms during long -term space missions is necessary to protect the health of astronauts and maintain the functionality of spacecraft.

Scientists say that new bacteria have a unique ability. It can break the gelatine and it can be very beneficial in an environment where nutrients are available in very limited amounts. The new strain has also shown structural and functional differences between two major proteins, which can increase the repair of biofilm construction, oxidative stress response and radiation damage. These adaptations show that this microbe has developed a system to survive in the extreme conditions of the space environment.

However, it is yet to be strongly detected whether the new bacteria pose a threat to the health of Tiangong’s astronauts. To understand which bacteria survive at space stations, it is necessary to understand how to control contamination on the board and how to avoid. This is not the first time a new species has been discovered in space. Many new bacteria have been identified even before the International Space Station.