Microbes as part of biodiversity in space flights
Astronauts arriving and returning from space stations carry trillions of microscopic organisms with them. For example, new species of space-adapted bacteria have been discovered on China’s Tiangong space station. Recently, 26 previously unknown species of bacteria were discovered in NASA’s cleanrooms—some of the most sterile environments ever created by humanity. Another study shows that, under stress, strains isolated from the ISS mutated and became genetically and functionally distinct from their terrestrial counterparts.
Giant bacteria measuring more than one centimeter were discovered in tropical forests
Before the discovery of the new bacterium Thiomargarita magnifica, the bacterium Thiomargarita namibiensis, measuring just over half a millimeter, was considered the largest.
Bacteria evolve at a rate equal to the rate of environmental pollution
New microbial enzymes can recycle and metabolize plastic in soil and oceans.