Scientists discover an unknown bacteria that has never been seen on Earth inside China's space station

Daily Mail​

22-05-2025

The search for life in space has led astronomers to look everywhere from the surface of Mars to the atmospheres of the most distant exoplanets.
Now, scientists have discovered unknown bacteria that have never been seen on Earth - living inside a cabin on China 's Tiangong space station.
The bacteria, named Niallia tiangongensis after the station, are a relative of a soil-dwelling bacterium from Earth.
However, the researchers found that this unique bacteria has evolved special adaptations that help it survive in space.
This includes specialized genes which help repair damage caused by the intense radiation found beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Most surprisingly, the scientists found that the bacteria have evolved the ability to eat gelatin in order to create a tough protective 'biofilm'.
While its closest relative on Earth is known to cause sepsis, it has not yet been determined whether Niallia tiangongensis poses a threat to humans.
The researchers say that understanding the abilities of new space-faring bacteria is 'essential for safeguarding the health of astronauts'.
The new species was found in samples taken from the station in 2023 by members of the Shenzhou-15 mission.
The crew swabbed the walls of the station with sterile tissues, which were then frozen and sent back to Earth for analysis.
When scientists analyzed these samples, they found a type of bacteria which was similar to the common soil-dwelling species Niallia circulans.
Niallia circulans is a rod-shaped bacteria which spreads itself by dispersing spores and is commonly found in the ground, sewage, and in food.
In immunocompromised patients, Niallia circulans can cause sepsis - a life-threatening condition caused by the body reacting improperly to a bacterial infection.
Just like its earthly cousin, Niallia tiangongensis also propagates by spreading spores, which can survive extreme conditions.
Niallia tiangongensis likely started as a small colony of Niallia circulans bacteria or spores, which slowly adapted to their new life in space after being taken onto the station.
These adaptations help the bacteria survive in the nutrient-scarce space-station interior and resist the stresses of space.
However, this is not the first time that humans have accidentally created new bacterial species by taking them into space.
In April last year, NASA discovered 13 new strains of drug-resistant bacteria living on the International Space Station inside the air vents, exercise equipment, and toilets.
Just like Niallia tiangongensis, the scientists believe these bacteria started out as species from Earth, which evolved over time after hitching a ride into space.
Space agencies go to great lengths not to contaminate the controlled environments of space stations or other planets.
But, as NASA is beginning to discover, it is almost impossible to prevent bacteria from getting a foothold in even the most sterile environment.
NASA recently discovered that the 'clean rooms' used to prep the Phoenix Mars Lander were home to 53 strains of bacteria, including 26 previously unknown species.
Bacteria are so ludicrously tough that the space agency has even launched a mission to swab the outside of the ISS to see if any germs might be surviving in the harsh vacuum of space.
This is a pressing issue for the Chinese Space Agency and NASA since both organizations are currently attempting to establish permanent bases on the moon.
Within the cramped confines of a remote space station, infections can spread rapidly between crew members.
If novel, antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop inside the station, this could sweep through the crew and cause serious health risks.
The overly sterile environment of a space station actually makes this risk worse by allowing a handful of hardy bacteria to thrive uninhibited.
NASA recently found that an increase in rashes and cold sores experienced by astronauts on the ISS might actually be caused by the station being too clean.
Without other bacteria competing for resources, germs from the astronauts' skin were thriving on the station walls and leading to more common infections.
If nations are serious about keeping humans in space for good, they will need to find a way to manage and control the spread of these new bacterial species.
Discovery of pulsars
British astronomer Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was the first person to discover a pulsar in 1967 when she spotted a radio pulsar.
Since then other types of pulsars that emit X-rays and gamma rays have also been spotted.
Pulsars are essentially rotating, highly magnetised neutron stars but when they were first discovered it was believed they could have come from aliens.
'Wow!' radio signal
In 1977, an astronomer looking for alien life in the night sky above Ohio spotted a radio signal so powerful that he excitedly wrote 'Wow!' next to his data.
In 1977, an astronomer looking for alien life in the night sky above Ohio spotted a radio signal so powerful that he excitedly wrote 'Wow!' next to his data
The 72-second blast, spotted by Dr Jerry Ehman through a radio telescope, came from Sagittarius but matched no known celestial object.
Conspiracy theorists have since claimed that the 'Wow! signal', which was 30 times stronger than background radiation, was a message from intelligent extraterrestrials.
Fossilised Martian microbes
In 1996 Nasa and the White House made the explosive announcement that the rock contained traces of Martian bugs.
The meteorite, catalogued as Allen Hills (ALH) 84001, crashed onto the frozen wastes of Antarctica 13,000 years ago and was recovered in 1984.
Photographs were released showing elongated segmented objects that appeared strikingly lifelike.
However, the excitement did not last long. Other scientists questioned whether the meteorite samples were contaminated.
They also argued that heat generated when the rock was blasted into space may have created mineral structures that could be mistaken for microfossils.
Behaviour of Tabby's Star in 2005
The star, otherwise known as KIC 8462852, is located 1,400 light years away and has baffled astronomers since being discovered in 2015.
It dims at a much faster rate than other stars, which some experts have suggested is a sign of aliens harnessing the energy of a star.
Recent studies have 'eliminated the possibility of an alien megastructure', and instead, suggests that a ring of dust could be causing the strange signals.
Exoplanets in the Goldilocks zone in 2017
In February 2017 astronomers announced they had spotted a star system with planets that could support life just 39 light years away.
Seven Earth-like planets were discovered orbiting nearby dwarf star 'Trappist-1', and all of them could have water at their surface, one of the key components of life.
Three of the planets have such good conditions, that scientists say life may have already evolved on them.
Researchers claim that they will know whether or not there is life on any of the planets within a decade, and said: 'This is just the beginning.'