Discovery of microbial maps at the International Space Station

Abdul Hakim Mahmoud

On May 22, the journal Environmental Microbiology published a study by environmental genome scientists and bioinformists at the Institute of Biological Research at the University of Montreal, the Canadian Center for Genomic Genetics and McGill University, using a new genomic methodology to detect the bacterial system And the microbial presence of the International Space Station.

The methodology has enabled the team of researchers to identify and map different types of microbes more than previous studies.

According to the statement from the Universities of Montreal and McGill, the findings of the new study will ultimately help protect the health of astronauts and will be key to long-term space travel in the future.

New methodology in detection
"Our current study of the analysis of microbes brought from the International Space Station has adopted a new methodology that differs from previous studies of microbes in the space station," said Dr. Nicholas Britton, a researcher at the University of Montreal's Institute of Biomedical Research and head of the scientific team.

"In our research, we followed a methodology called ANCHOR, a bioinformatic research technique also known as computational biology, where the latest applied mathematics, information technology, statistics and computer science are used, Solve a biological problem ".

"This allows for very precise monitoring of bacterial species in complex environments. This type of technology uses genetic markers to identify bacteria through DNA sequences," he said.

This approach has resulted in "results derived from our analysis of the bacteria on the surfaces of the International Space Station. The most notable of these is the discovery of different microbial systems when comparing the different units and the nature of these differences, Microbes in the International Space Station ".

"We were really happy to see the microbial world at the station in so many details," he said, .

Breton points out that understanding the evolution of highly closed ecosystems is an important priority for the Canadian Space Program, which aims to improve the long-term viability of space travel.

Nature of the bacterial system in the station
Dr Britton says about the nature of the bacterial system discovered by analyzing the samples taken from the ISS. "According to our analysis, we can identify 643 species of predators or strains of bacteria, although the number of different species in the ISS is even higher Much, and that is because there are many species that we have not been able to distinguish or characterize yet. "

"There is a very broad dominance of the human gut bacteria in the space station. The main source of the bacteria is the astronauts themselves, moving from their microbium, and the presence of microbial specific to the mice and plants, so we realized that these bacteria originated from the organisms used in Laboratory experiments ".

Therefore, it seems that any organisms taken into space bring with them their microorganisms, and thus have the opportunity to stay in the space station, according to the same spokesman.

Understanding the nature and origins of bacterial species is essential to ensure that safety strategies can be designed to maintain a healthy environment in the ISS, Britton said.