China's Tiangong space station has some bacteria that are unknown to science
When astronauts aboard China’s Tiangong space station drift hundreds of kilometers above Earth, they’re not alone. We’re not talking Alien, we’re talking something much smaller and not as dangerous. Something unseen, unheard, and entirely uninvited: bacteria.
The bacteria were first swabbed in 2023. That sample was then frozen and sent home for study, where biologists were stunned to see it was a species that hadn’t been described before. This previously unknown organism, now named Niallia tiangongensis, is the first novel species discovered aboard China’s orbital lab. And it might just teach us how to survive far from home.
Microbes in space
It’s not that uncommon to discover novel bacterial strains on space stations (though it’s not exactly common, either). Other bacteria, including drug-resistant bacteria, had also been discovered aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Despite rigorous sterilization protocols, microorganisms from Earth often end up aboard spacecraft, carried by humans, equipment, or cargo. If they can survive aboard these stations, they tend to change quite quickly. Microgravity, radiation, limited nutrients, and artificial atmospheres exert intense selective pressure on microbial communities, leading to genetic mutations and accelerated evolution.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/china-s-tiangong-space-station-has-some-bacteria-that-are-unknown-to-science/ar-AA1F99dc
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