Microbes gain strength in space Space flight has been shown to have a profound impact on human physiology as the body adapts to zero-gravity environments. Now, a new study led by researchers from ASUs Biodesign Institute has shown that the tiniest passengers flown in space microbes can be equally affected by space flight, making them more infectious pathogens.
Scientists have shown how bacteria in space can gain virulence. When Salmonella typhimurium food bugs were flown in special flasks on the shuttle, they were found to alter the way they expressed 167 genes. The bacteria were almost three times as likely to kill infected mice compared with standard samples held on Earth. The study, presented in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is said to have important implications for astronauts going to the Moon or Mars.