Discover new bacterial strains that can help space agriculture

NASA scientists have discovered three completely unknown strains of bacteria that thrive on the International Space Station. And the researchers suggest these microbes help astronauts grow food in space, and possibly on Mars in the end.

According to the London-based newspaper “Metro”, four types of bacteria were discovered which were recovered in the space laboratory aboard the station, and scientists discovered that three of them belong to a new species, while the fourth type comes from a known strain of bacteria. to scientists under the name “methyluroprom rhodesianum”.

The team of scientists named the three new species “methylobacterium ajali”, after renowned Indian biodiversity scientist Professor “Ajmal Khan”, in a related study published in the scientific journal “Frontiers in Microbiology”.

Study authors Professor Kasturi Venkateswaran and Professor Nitin Kumar Singh say the new microbial genes could carry clues to scientists that one day could grow cultures in space. They also said there is an urgent need for further research and studies to determine whether these bacteria will actually change the rules of work in space agriculture, given that it is of the utmost importance. to have the ability to grow plants in any space for the long term. mission, according to NASA.

But Dr Venkateswaran and Dr Singh said: “To grow plants in extremely harsh environments where the necessary resources are scarce, it is necessary to isolate new microbes that help promote plant growth under germinating conditions. severe. ” Growing crops in a difficult space environment can be an extremely difficult endeavor.

Researchers have been studying bacteria on the International Space Station for six years. Astronauts collect microbes in 8 different areas of the space station using polyester wipes, and then they are brought back to Earth, where they are subjected to examination and study by scientists. However, this process can be difficult and time consuming. There are currently over a thousand samples of microbes waiting to be transported to Earth.