Scientifically speaking: the lack of germs can be sick with astronauts

While science fiction has terrified us with alien microbes that infect astronauts and threaten humanity, a new study published in Cell reveals a surprising turn: the real danger that stalks aboard the International Space Station is not an invasion of unknown alien pathogens, it is the absence of microbial allies with which we evolved in the earth that could be weakened in the earth that could be weakened in the land Immune systems to astronauts.

For 20 years, astronauts have orbited on earth in what is essentially a sealed bubble, a meticulously maintained environment where microbial diversity is drastically reduced. San Diego researchers from the University of California, led by the microbiologist Rob Knight, have mapped this hidden world analyzing 803 surface samples of the entire station. His findings reveal an ecosystem dominated by bacteria associated with humans, losing the environmental diversity that is probably necessary for the health of astronauts.

What they discovered destroys our preconceived ideas about space pollution. Instead of being colonized by mysterious cosmic microbes, the ISS houses a limited selection of humans associated with humans, mainly Staphylococcus of our skin, while the beneficial environmental microbes of the soil and water are surprisingly absent. When the researchers placed the ISS throughout what they call an “anthropocentric gradient” of the environments, the space station landed at the end of microbial diversity, more similar to a COVID-19 isolation bedroom on Earth.

It turns out that many microbes are good for us. And this makes sense. Humans have evolved together with a wide variety of microbes from birth, with early exposure to the ground, animals and even domestic dust that helps establish balanced immune responses.

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In modern cities, the reduced exposure to environmental microbes has been related to higher asthma, allergies and autoimmune diseases. The ISS carries microbial isolation to one end, reinforcing what we already know about the risks of too disinfected environments.

We know for the land that children raised in rural environments tend to develop more resistant immune systems. On the contrary, astronauts in the environment of the ISS microbes experience immune dysfunction, persistent skin eruptions and the reactivation of latent viruses such as Epstein-Barr and Herpes Simplex, which the study detected on ISS surfaces. While this does not prove that ISS’s microbiome causes these immune problems directly, highlights the importance of microbial exposure in the regulation of human health.

The ISS is not completely free of germs, but its microbial makeup is largely molded by the activities of astronauts and the functions of the module. Each module tells its own microbial history. The kitchen houses food -related compounds, pepper, citrus and caffeine molecules. Meanwhile, the bathroom and exercise areas form microbial and chemical “points” with their own unique firms. Near the running tape, the researchers detected PFA, or chemicals forever, commonly used in water repellent fabrics, at levels that exceed those that are generally found in interior environments on Earth.

Disinfectant waste persisted throughout the station, although astronauts were instructed to stop cleaning four days before sampling. The study suggests that hard disinfection practices may be altering the microbial balance in the ISS, providing optimal conditions for

Bacteria that tolerate extreme conditions while limiting various microbes that could help keep astronauts healthy.

Some bacterial strains of the ISS show genetic differences of their land counterparts, possessed because they have now adapted to the unique conditions of the space station. The study also found the resistance associated with genes to metals.

We may need to rethink how we address the space of space. Instead of obsessing sterility, future missions may need to intentionally cultivate beneficial microbes. Space sailing designers could create environments that better imitate the natural microbial diversity of the earth, introducing probiotic cleaning systems instead of hard disinfectants. Just as microbial diversity is essential for human health on earth, it is likely to be equally important in space.

While we look towards extended missions to MarsWe face a truth of dawn: our microbial companions can be as essential for spatial space as oxygen and water. The next space exploration border will not only need better rockets and habitats, it will require the design of living ecosystems that support human health in the most extreme environment ever found.

If we eventually establish colonies beyond the earth, we will not only need our technology, but the invisible network of life that evolved with us for millions of years on our native planet. In our search to escape the gravity of the Earth, we cannot leave behind microscopic companions that help us stay healthy on our native planet.

Anirban Mahapatra is a scientist and author, more recently in the popular science book, when drugs do not work: hidden pandemic that could end medicine. The opinions expressed are personal.