Ayooshi Mitra, Amity University Kolkata
The International Space Station, also known as ISS, is an orbital laboratory located in low-Earth orbit (LEO) that has hosted numerous astronauts for maintenance and scientific experiments in its microgravity environment. Over the last six years, astronauts from various crews have collected samples from eight different locations on the space station to look for microbes. According to a recent study, about four bacteria strains have been found on the International Space Station (ISS). Three of the bacterial strains are brand new to the scientific world. The latest bacterial strains, according to CNN, are from the Methylobacteriaceae family. The four strains discovered are all members of a bacteria family found in soil and freshwater, but scientists had only heard of Methylorubrum rhodesianum before. Researchers discovered that the other three microbes are relatives of Methylobacterium Indicum, a bacterium isolated from rice that can grow on simple one-carbon compounds such as methanol or methane as a carbon source. The bacteria are involved in nitrogen fixation, which is the conversion of molecular nitrogen (N2) in the air into ammonia (NH4) and plant growth and may keep plant pathogens at bay.
Scientists said that isolation of novel microbes that aid in plant growth during adverse conditions is critical, claiming that the new strains may have ‘biotechnologically useful genetic determinants.’ According to the statement, NASA researchers worked on the study. Kasthuri is a senior research scientist and Nitin is a planetary protection engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
According to a report by Voice of America, the researchers have decided to name the new bacteria strain “Methylobacterium ajmalii” in honour of Indian scientist Ajmal Khan. The study included researchers from the University of Southern California, Cornell University, and the University of Hyderabad, in addition to Venkateswaran and Singh. This research was published in a scientific journal called Frontiers in Microbiology on 15 March.
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Reference: Bijlani S, Singh NK, Eedara VVR, Podile AR, Mason CE, Wang CCC and Venkateswaran K (2021) Methylobacterium ajmalii sp. nov., Isolated from the International Space Station. Front. Microbiol. 12:639396. doi: http://10.3389/fmicb.2021.639396
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