Scientists have discovered three new strains of bacteria on the International Space Station, according to a study published Monday.
“Four stems belonging to the family Methylobacteriaceae were isolated from different locations of the International Space Station (ISS) on two consecutive flights ” study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.
Kasthuri Venkateswaran and Nitin Kumar Singh, two of the authors of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained in a Press release that bacteria formed on plants that astronauts grew in space.
“In order to grow plants in extreme places where resources are minimal, isolating new microbes that help promote plant growth under stress is essential,” they said.
The discovery of these new bacteria in plants could lead to progress in plant growth and space cultivation.
“This will further help identify the genetic determinants that could be responsible for promoting plant growth under microgravity conditions and will contribute to the development of self-sustaining plant crops for long-term space missions in the future, “the study says.
Three of the bacterial strains were found on ISS surfaces in 2015 and 2016, and the fourth was collected in 2011.
“Needless to say, the ISS is an extremely clean environment. Crew safety is the number one priority, and therefore understanding human / plant pathogens is important, but beneficial microbes like this novel Methylobacterium ajmalii are also needed, “the scientists said.