Scientists Watched Viruses Attack Bacteria in Space. Things Got Weird
Gizmodo • • general
Key Points:
- Research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) reveals that bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) behave differently in microgravity, showing slower initial infection rates and unique evolutionary mutations compared to Earth-based counterparts.
- The study focused on T7 phages infecting Escherichia coli, finding that both phages and bacteria adapted rapidly in space, with bacteria enhancing their defenses and phages evolving to infect more effectively, including genetic changes not observed on Earth.
- These findings highlight that microgravity reshapes microbial evolution, which has significant implications for astronaut health during long-duration space missions and the dynamics of microbial ecosystems in space.
- Some mutations in space-evolved phages improved their ability to attack drug-resistant E. coli strains, suggesting
