2023-09-11 11:55:40
Installation on the ISS for the study of samples in space – ESA
MADRID, 11 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
ESA is testing kombucha cultures, famous for their fermentative properties and possible health benefitsto evaluate its resistance in space.
Multicellular biofilms found in kombucha -fermented tea of oriental origin- have shown promise in surviving harsh environments on Earth, leading scientists to investigate their potential to withstand the extreme conditions of space. Microorganisms are even considered biofactories for self-sustaining life support systems for space settlements.
ESA’s Expose facility carried out experiments on the International Space Station to investigate whether and how bacteria survive in space and simulated Martian conditions.
The samples flew from outside the Space Station. The results show that a microorganism, cyanobacteria, was able to repair its DNA and resume cell division even after being exposed to cosmic radiation, resisting even the destructive iron ions that cause extensive cellular damage.
In many living beings, tissues regenerate, such as human skin or bacterial biofilms, constantly multiplying through a process of cell division. How these cells stop dividing until they have repaired DNA damage remains a mystery, but researchers suspect that a specific gene, the sulA gene, could play a role in it. The sulA gene acts as a trafficking signal for cells. It stops cells from dividing until they have repaired their DNA, like a red light stops cars from moving. It is a crucial part of a cell’s security system, as it ensures that any damage is resolved before the cells continue to multiply.
Another experiment revealed that clusters of cells provided a microhabitat for smaller species, demonstrating that some cells can “hitchhike” in space within larger clusters of cells that protect hitchhikers.
Planetary protection is a set of protocols to prevent harmful biological and chemical pollution from Earth from reaching other planets, moons or celestial bodies, and vice versa. Experiments like these can help understand how cell clusters and biofilms protect against the extremes of space, preventing contamination and preventing contamination from space missions. They could also be used to protect organisms on longer journeys through space.
Microbes can also be a valuable “radiation model.” By understanding how these microorganisms respond, researchers can gain insights to understand and improve human health and well-being. This includes the development of radiation protection strategies for astronauts in space.
Future Artemis missions to the Gateway lunar orbital station could involve growing microorganisms on the Moon.
“These crops show great potential to support long-term human presence on the Moon and Mars,” he says. it’s a statement Petra Rettberg, director of the astrobiology group at the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
“Due to their ability to produce oxygen and function as biofactories, this biotechnology could significantly improve future space missions and human space exploration efforts,” adds ESA deep space exploration scientist Nicol Caplin.
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