Latest news with #Nialliacirculans
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Business Standard
22-05-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
Chinese scientists discover mysterious bacteria on Tiangong space station
On board the Tiangong space station, Chinese researchers have identified a new kind of bacteria. The new microbe strain, officially known as Niallia tiangongensis, was discovered in microbial samples taken from the surfaces of the Tiangong during the Shenzhou 15 crewed mission, which returned to Earth in June 2023, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. According to descriptions, the new microorganism is a rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium that forms spores. On board Tiangong, a three-module space station in low Earth orbit, a new microbial species has been found for the first time. Chinese researchers found mysterious bacteria: About the Mutations According to the study, the bacteria is identical to the terrestrial species Niallia circulans. However, scientists found that the space strain had important genetic differences. The mutations can help scientists understand the evolution of bacteria beyond Earth. The bacterium exhibits a unique ability to break down gelatine, a trait that could support microbial life in nutrient-poor or extreme environments. Two proteins in Niallia tiangongensis experienced structural and functional changes, according to the study. These changes may improve the bacterium's ability to form biofilms, respond to oxidative stress, and repair radiation damage. Chinese found mysterious bacteria: Is it helpful in future? According to scientists, this research suggests how bacteria survive in space. It is currently unknown if astronauts' health might be at risk due to this new strain. However, research into these microbes is essential for both mission security and space sanitation. By monitoring microbiological life on spacecraft, unintended contamination is avoided. The discovery of new microbes in space is not unprecedented. The strains of new bacteria had also been identified from the International Space Station (ISS), which the scientists say would be helpful in growing crops on Mars. According to a recent study, 26 new bacterial strains were found in NASA clean rooms, which are among the world's most sterile settings.
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WIRED
21-05-2025
- Science
- WIRED
New Bacteria Have Been Discovered on a Chinese Space Station
May 21, 2025 6:49 AM On Earth there is no record of Niallia tiangongensis , a bacterium found aboard the Tiangong station that appears to be well adapted to conditions there. An illustration of bacteria. Photograph: GETTY IMAGES It is microscopic and rod-shaped, can create spores, and may have evolved to survive hundreds of miles above our planet's surface. This bacterium, never before seen on Earth, was detected on China's Tiangong space station. It has been named Niallia tiangongensis , and it inhabited the cockpit controls on the station, living in microgravity conditions. According to China Central Television, the country's national broadcaster, taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) collected swab samples from the space station in May 2023, which were then frozen and sent back to Earth for study. The aim of this work was to investigate the behavior of microorganisms, gathered from a completely sealed environment with a human crew, during space travel, as part of the China Space Station Habitation Area Microbiome Program (CHAMP). A paper published in the Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology describes how analysis of samples from the space station revealed this previously unseen bacterial species, which belongs to the genus Niallia . Genomic sequencing showed that its closest terrestrial relative is the bacterium Niallia circulans , although the Tiangong species has substantial genetic differences. 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. Bacteria of the genus Niallia are characterized by their rod-like shape, a thick cell wall, absence of an outer membrane, and their ability to form endospores that ensure their survival in adverse conditions. Niallia circulans , for example, encapsulates its genetic material in a highly protected cell, which remains inactive until the environment becomes favorable again. It is unclear whether the newly discovered microbe evolved on the space station or whether it is part of the vast sea of as yet unidentified microorganisms on Earth. To date, tens of thousands of bacterial species have been cataloged, although there are estimated to be billions more unclassified species on Earth. The discovery of Niallia tiangongensis will provide a better understanding of the microscopic hazards that the next generation of space travelers will face and help design sanitation protocols for extended missions. It is still too early to determine whether the space bacterium poses any danger to taikonauts aboard Tiangong, although it is known that its terrestrial relative, Niallia circulans , can cause sepsis, especially in immunocompromised people. This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
Sky News AU
21-05-2025
- Science
- Sky News AU
Mysterious bacteria with ‘unique abilities' discovered on Chinese space station
Chinese scientists discovered a novel strain of bacterium with 'unique abilities' that allowed it to thrive on the Tiangong Space Station, according to a report. The newly named Niallia tiangongensis was isolated by taikonauts from surface hardware on the China Space Station, according to a paper from the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. The novel strain is closely related to the terrestrial bacterium Niallia circulans, which is found in soil, sewage, food and human stool — but exhibits several mutations that could prove beneficial in the study of life as it moves out into space, the paper claimed. Scientists said the novel strain 'demonstrates a unique ability to hydrolyze gelatin suggesting that it can utilize gelatin as a substrate in nutrient-limited environments,' according to the paper. Nialla t. further showed 'structural and functional' difference in two key proteins which 'may enhance' biofilm formation, oxidative stress response and repair radiation damage, scientists claimed. All of these unique formations, likely mutations of the earthly bacteria developed in space, make Nialla tiangongensis incredibly resilient and adaptable to the space environment, the paper stated. Taikonauts from the China Space Station Habitation Area Microbiome Program collected the novel strain in 2023 using a somewhat homespun protocol — sterile wipes to swab the surface of the station and returning the frozen wipes to Earth, South China Morning Post reported. The program, called CHAMP, tracks microbial dynamics during long-term space operations, conducting research related to active substances, genetic resources, and metabolic functions of microbes, according to that report. Knowledge gleaned from these tests will be key for long-term, manned space flights, but also will be useful for medicine and agriculture, according to the report. A similar icky discovery was made on the International Space Station last year — when American astronauts discovered a mutated and drug-resistant version of a common bacterium that is also commonly found in the human gastrointestinal tract, a study showed. Originally published as Mysterious bacteria with 'unique abilities' discovered on Chinese space station
New York Post
21-05-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Mysterious bacteria with ‘unique abilities' discovered on Chinese space station
Bact to the future. Chinese scientists discovered a novel strain of bacterium with 'unique abilities' that allowed it to thrive on the Tiangong Space Station, according to a report. The newly named Niallia tiangongensis was isolated by taikonauts from surface hardware on the China Space Station, according to a paper from the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. The novel strain is closely related to the terrestrial bacterium Niallia circulans, which is found in soil, sewage, food and human stool — but exhibits several mutations that could prove beneficial in the study of life as it moves out into space, the paper claimed. Scientists said the novel strain 'demonstrates a unique ability to hydrolyze gelatin suggesting that it can utilize gelatin as a substrate in nutrient-limited environments,' according to the paper. Nialla t. further showed 'structural and functional' difference in two key proteins which 'may enhance' biofilm formation, oxidative stress response and repair radiation damage, scientists claimed. The novel strain is closely related to a bacteria found in soil, sewage, food and human stool. Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0 Bacteria in a petri dish similar to that swabbed with sterile wipes on China's Tiangong Space Station. ridvanarda – All of these unique formations, likely mutations of the earthly bacteria developed in space, make Nialla tiangongensis incredibly resilient and adaptable to the space environment, the paper stated. Taikonauts from the China Space Station Habitation Area Microbiome Program collected the novel strain in 2023 using a somewhat homespun protocol — sterile wipes to swab the surface of the station and returning the frozen wipes to Earth, South China Morning Post reported. The program, called CHAMP, tracks microbial dynamics during long-term space operations, conducting research related to active substances, genetic resources, and metabolic functions of microbes, according to that report. Knowledge gleaned from these tests will be key for long-term, manned space flights, but also will be useful for medicine and agriculture, according to the report. A similar icky discovery was made on the International Space Station last year — when American astronauts discovered a mutated and drug-resistant version of a common bacterium that is also commonly found in the human gastrointestinal tract, a study showed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Unknown strain of bacteria found on China's Tiangong Space Station — and it's developing resistance to space
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Scientists have discovered a new microbe never-before-seen on Earth inside China's Tiangong space station. The new strain of bacteria, named Niallia tiangongensis after the space station, is a variant of a soil-dwelling terrestrial microbe that can cause sepsis, and was found inside one of the station's cabins. Now, a new analysis of the strain has revealed that the bacterium isn't only one of a kind, but has also picked up some key adaptations that could be helpful in future space missions. The researchers published their findings March 3 in the journal International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. "Understanding the characteristics of microbes during long-term space missions is essential for safeguarding the health of astronauts and maintaining the functionality of spacecraft," the researchers wrote in the study. The new strain was found in samples collected in 2023 by the crew of the Shenzhou-15 mission, who swabbed the space station's modules with sterile wipes before freezing them for transport. Related: Purple bacteria could be key to finding extraterrestrial life on exoplanets After being sent back to Earth, analysis revealed that the bacteria was closely related to Niallia circulans, a rod-shaped, spore-propagating bacteria that typically dwells in soil, sewage and food, and can cause sepsis in immunocompromised patients. RELATED STORIES —If life can exist in your stomach, it can exist on Mars. Here's what it might look like. —Samples of 'alien' asteroid Ryugu are crawling with life — from Earth —Little Green Men? Nope, Extraterrestrial Life May Look More Like Pasta. However, the new strain had also picked up a few new adaptations to survive the harsh conditions of space. These include genes that code responses to oxidative stress, repair the bacteria from radiation damage, and enable it to form biofilms by breaking down gelatin to extract carbon and nitrogen. It's not yet clear if the new strain could cause harm to humans, but the researchers hope that by studying it further they could learn more about how it, and others, survive; as well as the best ways to prevent human astronauts from any risks associated with space-adapted bugs. This isn't the first microbe to have made the evolutionary leap to survive beyond our planet, either. In 2018, NASA scientists discovered four previously unknown strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria hiding inside the International Space Station's toilets, each with a suite of new adaptations to help them survive in outer space.
