NASA confirms mutated drug-resistant bacteria is infesting the ISS

NASA has taken to its website to explain that bacteria aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have mutated and become distant from their Earth counterparts.

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Principal Investigator Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory examined thirteen strains of E. bugandensis, a type of bacteria that on Earth is known to be drug-resistant. The findings were published in a new scientific paper, and according to NASA, the strains were isolated aboard the ISS for some time. During their time aboard the ISS these strains mutated, becoming genetically and functionally distant compared to their counterparts found on Earth.

According to the space agency, these strains of bacteria were able to live isolated with multiple other microorganisms, and, in some cases, potentially helped the other organisms survive.

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So, what makes the ISS so different from Earth? NASA explains that anything aboard the ISS is subject to microgravity, radiation, and elevated carbon dioxide levels. This environment gives researchers the chance to study bacteria in an extreme and unique environment.

NASA writes that any microorganisms introduced to this environment will need to adapt to survive, giving researchers the opportunity to study the bacteria and hopefully develop insights that lead to effective treatments.