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from the you-thought-airplanes-were-bad dept.
The ISS is crawling with nasty bacteria
NASA scientists have found that the International Space Station (ISS), home to six astronauts, is infested with disease-inducing bacteria. Many of the organisms breeding on the craft's surfaces are known to form both bacterial and fungal biofilms that promote resistance to antibiotics. The NASA team published their findings in a new study -- the first comprehensive catalog of germs in closed space systems -- in the journal Microbiome [open, DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0666-x] [DX]. The biofilms ability to cause microbial-induced corrosion on Earth could also play havoc with the ISS' infrastructure by causing mechanical blockages, claim the researchers.
The microbes come from humans and are similar to the ones in gyms, offices, and hospitals on Earth. They include so-called opportunistic pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus (commonly found on the skin and in the nasal passage) and Enterobacter (associated with the human gastrointestinal tract). Though they can cause diseases back on Earth, it's unclear what, if any, affect they'd have on the ISS' inhabitants.
Also at BGR.
Related: Space Builds Better Bugs?
Microbes Sampled and Sequenced Aboard the ISS
Prolonged Spaceflight Could Weaken Astronauts' Immune Systems
(Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Wednesday April 10 2019, @11:15AM (5 children)
Meanwhile, on the ISS, what were ordinary bacteria have, under the onslaught of cosmic _radiation_, become mutated, sentient beings that are marshaling their new-found intelligence to plot against man and take over the Earth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @11:52AM (2 children)
No intelligence required to be really dangerous, case in point: Donny J. "smallhands" Drummpkopf, US prez no less.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @04:05PM (1 child)
He probably got infected with evil bacteria travelling back to Earth with former astronauts.
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Friday April 12 2019, @11:52AM
That's silly, it had to be the Cosmonauts!
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @09:31PM (1 child)
Sorry, but the ISS is still inside the Val Allen radiation belts, and mostly protected from cosmic radiation the same as the rest of us earthlings. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Comparison_satellite_navigation_orbits.svg [wikimedia.org]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday April 10 2019, @11:17PM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/11/13/how-much-radiation-are-iss-astronauts-exposed-to/ [forbes.com]
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/air_travel.html [cdc.gov]
It is about 1-2 orders of magnitude more than you would experience from air travel, and they are up there constantly.
Maybe not a huge health risk, but it could affect bacterial mutation rates.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]